Penn Waste installs Glacier’s technology

Glacier has deployed its artificial intelligence (AI) sorting technology at Penn Waste Inc.’s material recovery facility (MRF) in York County, Pennsylvania, with funding from Cox Enterprises. 

Waste Connections’ Penn Waste MRF in York County is one of the largest single-stream MRFs in the northeastern U.S. Glacier’s AI sorting system is integrated on the MRF’s fiber line to boost recovery of materials such as cardboard and PET, or polyethylene terephthalate. Preliminary results indicate the technology enhances the recovery of recyclables, increases landfill diversion and improves the quality of recovered paper, delivering cleaner feedstock for mills and greater value from recycled commodities, Glacier says in a news release about the installation.

While Glacier’s robots are designed to integrate seamlessly into existing lines without major modifications in most cases, Penn Waste chose to add a few additional drop points to take advantage of the robot’s ability to capture multiple material types, Glacier co-founder and CEO Rebecca Hu-Thrams tells the Recycling Today Media Group. “That was optional—not something Glacier’s system required—but it allowed the MRF to target a mix of cardboard, PET bottles and flexible plastics to maximize value.”

Glacier’s AI sorting robots use computer vision to identify and sort more than 70 material types, from PET and aluminum to less common packaging such as toothpaste tubes, achieving 45 picks per minute on a variety of material streams. When coupled with Glacier’s AI-powered data platform, this system provides MRFs with in-depth data and insights into the materials being recycled, allowing for improved recovery, purity rates and operational efficiency, the company says.

Penn Waste opted to install San Francisco-based Glacier’s technology because it offers a compact, cost-efficient AI sorting system that can be installed in under a day with zero downtime, Hu-Thrams says.

“Furthermore, Glacier’s sorting system specializes in decontaminating fiber QC lines. Due to its purpose-built design, Glacier’s robot has been engineered to excel at picking hard-to-recover contaminants like film and flexible plastic, achieving a high capture rate in high burden depth while also avoiding common fiber stream issues that other technologies encounter, such as clogs.

“Waste Connections recognized that Glacier’s technology not only enhances recovery but also provides verified circularity data, while its affordable, space-efficient design allows for practical integration at scale," she adds.

“MRFs don’t have the luxury of waiting years for a solution to prove itself,” Hu-Thrams says. “Our pace of deployments has more than doubled in the last year because operators see immediate value: higher recovery rates, cleaner material quality, and the confidence that our robots work anywhere, in any season. We’re proud to work alongside Waste Connections and Cox to modernize recycling infrastructure and improve operational impact.”

Glacier’s fleet size has doubled, Hu-Thrams explains to the Recycling Today Media Group. “Breaking this down further, we’ve installed the same number of units in 2025 as we did over the last three years combined.”  

With the Penn Waste installation, she says Glacier has deployed more than 70 robots and vision systems and is working with MRFs that process recycling for nearly 1 in 10 Americans.

Cox backed the installation of Glacier's technology at Penn Waste's York MRF as part of its circular economy initiatives and to improve circularity in a key region for its operations. The Penn Waste facility processes about 225 tons of recycling each year from Manheim, Pennsylvania, one of Cox Automotive’s 80-plus wholesale auction sites providing dealers and commercial clients with services that include vehicle sales, reconditioning, imaging, logistics and more.

“Cox is committed to continuing to invest in recycling infrastructure, particularly in MRFs around the country to improve the circular economy and efficient sorting practices,” Hu-Thrams says. “With that, Cox and Glacier are in active conversations about expanding Glacier installations to drive circularity impact in regions where Cox employees work, play and live. For Cox, supporting these installations is part of their broader zero-waste commitment: They see Glacier’s technology as a tangible way to accelerate progress on that goal while also helping recycling partners unlock new value. From Glacier’s perspective, it’s really exciting to see a major company not just talking about circularity innovation but putting meaningful resources behind it.”

“By partnering with Glacier and Waste Connections at the Penn Waste facility, we are strengthening the recycling infrastructure our communities rely on and also setting the standard for keeping valuable materials in circulation while driving real, lasting impact for the region, Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises says. 

“We are pleased to integrate Glacier’s advanced AI sorting system into our Penn Waste facility and to continually raise the standard for recycling technology, benefitting our customers, communities and the environment,” adds Kyle Byler, division vice president at Waste Connections, which is headquartered in Toronto.