YORK COUNTY, Pa. — At Penn Waste’s recycling facility in York County, artificial intelligence is stepping in to make recycling jobs safer.
The company recently installed a new AI-powered robot that identifies and removes non-recyclable and dangerous items from the sorting line — such as lithium batteries, needles and propane tanks — before they can cause harm.
The technology comes from Glacier, a company that designs AI systems specifically for recycling facilities. Penn Waste says the robot can make about 40 picks per minute — scanning and removing dangerous items much faster than a human could.
While artificial intelligence is often associated with automation replacing workers, that’s not the case here.
“It is not [replacing jobs],” site manager Shawn Querry said.
Querry also emphasized that their biggest priority is keeping employees safe in a job that can be dangerous.
“It’s just helping us get the contaminants out of our material.”
The upgrade comes just a few years after a major setback. In 2022, a fire tore through part of Penn Waste’s recycling center — believed to have been caused by a lithium battery that slipped through the sorting process.
“We were out of commission for a year due to the fact that a lithium battery got through our stream,” Querry explained. “It affected a lot of our employees because we had to relocate them. It affected their livelihoods as well.”
Since rebuilding, the company has invested heavily in new safety systems and technology, and staff say the addition of AI gives them peace of mind.
“Everybody gets home to their families and gets to spend time with their loved ones, and we can sleep at night,” Querry said.
Penn Waste leaders say none of the material that comes through the facility ends up in a landfill — every piece is recycled.
They’re also reminding residents to help keep workers safe by not throwing lithium batteries, needles or propane tanks into regular recycling bins. Those items should instead be taken to designated drop-off locations, such as Battery Warehouse, Call2Recycle sites or local salvage yards.
The new AI robot officially went online about a month ago, and Penn Waste says it’s already helping make recycling safer, faster and smarter in York County.