TeknTrash Robotics and Sharp Group Launch Humanoid Robot Pilot for Smarter Recycling

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, May 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- TeknTrash Robotics, a UK-based company pioneering
AIpowered robotics and motion intelligence for waste management, has partnered with
leading environmental services provider Sharp Group to begin real-world testing of
ALPHA—an advanced humanoid robot designed to transform how we sort waste.

Through this, at Sharp Group’s state-of-the-art facility in Rainham, East London, where
currently they handle and process 2.800 tonnes of waste a week, which includes plastic,
paper, glass, metal, general, stone and more - ideal for developing new technology to assist
with waste segregation. Frontline workers are now equipped with Meta Quest 3 headsets
that record their movements during daily operations. Using an app developed by TeknTrash,
Sharp Group workers are capturing detailed motion data—including posture, hand and finger
articulation, and synchronised video—to train next-generation AI robotic models.

This data will then be used in ALPHA (Automated Litter Processing Humanoid
Assistant), a new class of humanoid robot capable of taking over waste selection tasks that
are repetitive, unsanitary, and hazardous.

In fact, the waste and recycling sector is among the most hazardous industries in the UK: in
the 2018/19 period, 4.5% of workers in this sector suffered from work-related ill health, a
figure notably higher than the all-industry average of 3.1%. Additionally, the rate of non-fatal
workplace injuries stood at 3.4%, surpassing the 1.8% average across all industries.

Alarmingly, the sector's fatal injury rate is 17 times higher than the all-industry average, with
seven fatal injuries reported in 2018/19
Also, humans sort waste at an average rate of 30 to 40 picks per minute, but fatigue and
decision fatigue lead to errors. Contamination items mixed with recyclables remains a
persistent issue, with single-stream recycling (where all recyclables are collected in one bin)
resulting in about 25% of material being contaminated, rendering it unsellable. In 2022,
England dry recycling declined by 7.1% (0.4 million tonnes), partly due to quality issues
affecting resale value.

Robots, by contrast, achieve higher purity rates, reducing bale rejection rates and boosting
profitability. And this is where ALPHA plays a role, by working anywhere where waste is
being handled: initially picking it up from the conveyor belts in recycling plants, and later
carrying garbage cans to the truck, lifting up weights in processing plants, etc. As such, at
this stage, ALPHA is being trained to identify waste from conveyor belts at recycling plants,
selecting them by material (paper, plastic, etc) and by brand. And, unlike traditional solutions
that use robotic arms that are stationary, ALPHA is built for mobility, dexterity, and
perception—trained to mirror human hands and precision.

“Our goal is to build a smarter, more sustainable future where waste isn’t just managed—it’s
understood,” said Al Costa, CEO at TeknTrash. “We plan to deploy the same solution in
1000 plants all across europe, all connected to the cloud, in order to build a huge dataset of
actions related to recycling so we can deploy in ALPHA. Through partnerships like this, we’re
turning advanced robotics into real-world sustainability impact.”

A Smarter, Safer, Scalable Solution
ALPHA is trained using real-time motion data collected from recycling operatives via VR
headsets and the data is sent in real time to cloud servers. The data is then processed
through IsaacLab and deployed to NVIDIA’s GR00T framework for real-time inference. And,
by shifting computationally intensive tasks like image recognition and movement planning to
a centralised cloud server, the robot can run on lightweight, energy-efficient hardware—
extending battery life and improving runtime reliability. Equipped with hyperspectral vision
placed at the start of the conveyor belt, ALPHA tracks waste items earlier and more
accurately than solutions which use regular RBGD cameras. Finally, unlike suction-based
systems, ALPHA’s grippers, trained through VR to mirror human hand dexterity, are able to
grab more waste and, thus, increase recycling rates.

The humanoid system moves autonomously along rails, coordinates with multiple units, and
adapts dynamically to operational conditions. This design solves common problems in
traditional waste sorting robotics—lack of flexibility, poor accuracy, and high maintenance—
while setting a new standard for industrial humanoid applications.

Real-World Impact, Right Now
“We’re thrilled to be working with TeknTrash on such an innovative and forward-thinking project,”
said Chelsea Sharp, Director at Sharp Group. “The integration of AI and robotics into waste
management has the potential to completely transform the industry. Not only will this technology
make recycling faster and safer, but it also opens up incredible possibilities for improving
transparency and accountability through detailed waste data. We’re proud to be part of
something that could truly reshape how the world thinks about waste.”

A Leading Site for Innovation and Sustainability
Sharp Group operates one of the most technologically advanced recycling facilities in
Greater London. The Rainham site offers full-service waste collection, sorting, and recycling
operations and is equipped with smart weighing systems, automated handlers, and
environmental monitoring tools. Its commitment to innovation and environmental
responsibility makes it the ideal testing ground for TeknTrash’s robotics.

Through this partnership, data will be captured during the next 6 months, and then, after
passing quality metrics, fed into NVIDIA Isaac Lab, a leading robot training platform, to
generate a model which will then fed back into an ATLAS humanoid mimicking the same
movements.

And this partnership is more than a pilot. The Rainham site serves as a co-development hub
where robotic training, AI validation, and system iteration occur in parallel with daily
operations. Once testing concludes, Sharp Group will act as the launchpad for ALPHA’s
broader rollout across the UK and in 1000 plants in Europe in the next 24 months.

The project is also a blueprint for how humanoid robotics and AI can seamlessly integrate
into traditional waste workflows to create tangible environmental and operational
improvements.

Media Enquiries
TeknTrash
Ruiyan Xu – Media Manager – rxu@tekntrash.com
Mobile: +44 7421 727177
37th Floor, 1 Canada Square, London E14 5AA
Sharp Group
Ryan Jones – Project Manager – ryan@sharpskips.co.uk
Telephone: 01708 555666
Unit, 6D Albright Industrial Estate, Rainham RM13 9BU
Further photos and videos available at https://tekntrash.com/media/sharp/

Ruiyan Xu
TeknTrash Robotics
+44 7421 727177
rxu@tekntrash.com