Ferrovial coordinates the “ZRR for Municipal Waste” project to optimize municipal waste management
- ZRR for Municipal Waste analyzes the application of robotics in managing municipal waste sorting methods.
- It is partially funded through the EU’s Climate KIC.
- Ferrovial will coordinate the project, which also involves its subsidiary Ferrovial Services, Danish consulting firm NTU, CI3 (Center for the Innovation of Smart Infrastructures), and German Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.
Madrid, 26/06/2018.- Ferrovial is coordinating the “ZRR for Municipal Waste” project, which will analyze the implementation of robotics to automate and enhance the municipal waste sorting methods over a 21-month period. The program is partially funded by Climate KIC, the EU’s main initiative on climate change innovation.The project will involve installing and testing ZRR, a robot from Finnish startup ZenRobotics which continuously monitors waste flows by means of sensors. Its Artificial Intelligence (AI) module analyses the information gathered by the sensors in real time, and learns from it, to separate fractions of waste quickly and accurately on the basis of size and shape.Ferrovial Servicios will carry out the study to adapt the plant and implement the robot in cooperation with ZenRobotics and the Wuppertal Institute. It will also deliver the tests and analysis needed to adapt this technology, which has only been used in construction waste management, to municipal waste management. The robot will be installed in the Ecoparc 4 waste treatment plant, managed by Ferrovial Services.NTU will define the economic, social and environmental indicators to assess the impact of the solution, and will monitor the project’s impact throughout its life cycle.CI3, the Center for the Innovation of Smart Infrastructures, will support the project by publishing and communicating the results through workshops organized in eight European locations.The Wuppertal Institute will be involved in project implementation, testing and enhancement. The Institute’s experience will be crucial for optimizing the ZRR robot’s waste sorting capabilities.
About Ferrovial
Ferrovial is one of the world’s leading infrastructure operators and municipal services companies, committed to developing sustainable solutions. The company has 96,000 employees and operates in over 20 countries. Its main business areas are: Services, Toll Roads, Construction and Airports. It is a member of Spain’s blue-chip IBEX 35 index and is also included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good; all its operations are conducted in compliance with the principles of the UN Global Compact, which the company adopted in 2002.