AI-assisted summary

A Brevard County recycling plant received an $18 million upgrade with new AI-equipped optical sorters.

The new technology increased production from 25 to 35 tons per hour while reducing the number of employees.

Improperly discarded items like hypodermic needles and pool chemicals continue to pose a safety risk to workers.

A veritable river of recyclables scoots past at up to 180 feet per minute inside WM Recycling Brevard, zipping atop a snakelike series of conveyor belts through an array of automated industrial machines.

Toward the end of the line, Plant Manager Tim Van Ness watched a green, boxlike optical sorter in action. This AI-equipped machine detects incoming polyethylene terephthalate, or PET plastic, and aims brief bursts of compressed air to steer passin

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