Located to the south of Oslo in the municipality of Skien, the MRF is now fully operational and has demonstrated exceptional throughput and precision, processing 5 tonnes per hour of residual Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) without the need for any manual labour. This touch-free operation not only boosts efficiency but also enhances worker safety by eliminating exposure to hazardous materials and repetitive strain tasks.
“Our Fast Picker and Heavy Picker robots are exceeding expectations,” said Kristoffer Hauen, Operations Manager of Bjorstaddalen. “We’re seeing high recovery rates from household waste, including plastics, paper, cardboard, and even black plastics. Most notably, it is also handling complex waste streams such as diapers and organics, materials that are traditionally difficult to recover. In addition, the absence of manual sorting has reduced fatigue, improved safety, and allowed our team to focus on higher-value tasks”
The system’s dual-action robotic arms, equipped with both mechanical jaws and vacuum grippers, enable precise sorting across a wide variety of material categories typically found in household waste. The Fast Picker robots excel at sorting diverse materials, including various plastics, paper, and cardboard, while the Heavy Picker robots efficiently manage bulky items weighing up to 40 kg. Additionally, the facility’s modular design allows for scalable expansion, while its low energy consumption and minimal operating costs make it a sustainable and economically viable solution for communities seeking to reduce landfill dependency.
Juha Mieskonen, General Manager, ZenRobotics and Sales Director, Terex Recycling Systems (TRS)/ZenRobotics, commented, “This installation proves that AI-powered sorting can deliver both environmental and financial returns. The robots operate 24/7, improving recovery rates and reducing contamination without the need for expensive spectral cameras.”
Kenny Hull, Product and Commercial Manager at Terex Recycling Systems, added, “The modularity of our systems enabled rapid deployment and seamless integration at Bjorstaddalen. Combined with ZenRobotics AI capabilities, we’ve created a future-ready solution that adapts to evolving waste streams and market demands.”
This new MRF complements Bjorstaddalen’s existing robotic sorting plant at the same site, also powered by ZenRobotics technology that processes up to 150,000 tonnes of construction, demolition (C&D), and commercial and industrial (C&I) waste per year. Together, these facilities underscore Bjorstaddalen’s commitment to advancing material recovery and accelerating the transition to a circular economy.
