Airport Adds TrashBot to Sustainability Efforts

Everyone knows recycling is important. Most people have a pretty good idea of what’s recyclable and what’s not.

So why are landfills across the country filled with millions of tons of plastic, paper and glass – materials that are collected separate from trash almost everywhere in the U.S.?

Charles Yhap, co-founder and CEO of CleanRobotics, has a pretty good answer.

“A lot of people want to do the right thing, but they need to know, specifically, what the right thing is, and that thing has to be easy,” he said.

So Yhap and Tanner Cook, fellow co-founder and CTO of the Colorado-based company, invented the easy, right thing. They call it TrashBot.

In short, TrashBot is a waste receptacle powered with AI and robotics that analyzes and separates recyclable waste from landfill waste at the point of disposal instead of at a recycling facility. “It’s simpler than you think, because a trash can needs to be very simple,” Cook said.

This trash can is a roughly rectangular silver box with one opening and an LED screen mounted above. At Pittsburgh International Airport it is stationed in Baggage Claim as part of the airport’s xBridge innovation program.

When someone throws something into the opening, it drops into a chamber full of sensors. TrashBot identifies the item, determines if it is recyclable or not, and moves it to an appropriate bin inside. When the bins get full, they notify cleaning crews via an app.

Lessons learned

Soon, the screen above TrashBot will flash messaging directly related to the item being tossed. For example, if someone throws away a water bottle that still contains some liquid, TrashBot will explain that the leftover water needs to be drained before the bottle is recyclable, which many people don’t know.

“Education is first,” Cook said. “Having the data to be able to drive ver