The Robots Are Coming...To Sort Your Trash?
Okay, so the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) had their Ferrous Division meeting in Bangkok, and apparently, AI was the belle of the ball. Everyone's wetting their pants over machine learning spotting lithium-ion batteries before they turn your recycling plant into a Michael Bay movie. Fine. I get it. Fires bad. Batteries sneaky. But forgive me if I'm not doing cartwheels just yet. BIR Convention: Technology continues to influence processing, trading covered the Ferrous Division meeting in Bangkok.
Shane Mellor from Mellor Metals calls AI a "critical tool." Critical for what, exactly? Making shareholders richer while automating jobs out of existence? I'm just asking questions here.
Then you got Sean Davidson from Davis Index and Raghav Mecheri from Visia pitching their wares. Optical scanning, sensor-based identification... it all sounds great on paper. Mecheri's even talking about X-ray tech that can "see through" loads of scrap to find hidden batteries. Cool. But how much does that cost? And how many small businesses are gonna be able to afford that kinda wizardry?
The "Human-Machine Interaction" Fig Leaf
Ben László from Kuusakoski Recycling in Finland brags about their system with two X-ray cameras. TWO! One to eject the battery, and another to make sure the first one did its job. He even throws in the ol' "human-machine interaction" line, saying a person reprograms it if it screws up.
Oh, so we're still needed? That's comforting. For now.
But let's be real: how long before the AI learns to reprogram itself? And then what happens to the "human" in the interaction? We're talking about recycling here, not brain surgery. These aren't exactly high-skill jobs. Are we just delaying the inevitable unemployment line?
And 97% accuracy in spotting batteries, according to Mecheri? That means 3% of the time, you're still gonna have a potential fireball. Great. So, it's not a complete solution, just a slightly less explosive one.
Speaking of explosions, this reminds me of that time my neighbor tried to build a "smart" sprinkler system. Spent a fortune on sensors and a fancy controller, and all it did was water the sidewalk at 3 AM. Point is, tech ain't always the answer. Sometimes, it just creates more problems than it solves.
The Non-Ferrous and Paper Divisions Chime In (For Some Reason)
Okay, this is where it gets weird. Suddenly, we're talking about online trading platforms for recycled materials and auction platforms for recovered paper. Stuart Kagan from Buddy (yes, that's the actual name) is worried the nonferrous sector is gonna get "left behind" by tech. And Francisco Donoso is launching some "Global Auction for Recovered Paper."
What does any of this have to do with AI spotting batteries in scrap metal? Is this whole convention just a thinly veiled excuse to hawk every piece of recycling tech under the sun?
Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe these technologies will revolutionize the industry. But forgive me if I'm not holding my breath. I've seen too many "revolutionary" technologies end up as expensive paperweights.
So, What's the Real Story?
It's the same old song and dance: hype, buzzwords, and the promise of a brighter, more automated future. But beneath the shiny surface, it's all about profits, control, and replacing human workers with machines. And honestly, I don't see how that benefits anyone except the shareholders.
