Led · Series A · Aug 2022

CleanRobotics develops TrashBot, an automated waste-sorting system that identifies and sorts items into corresponding internal bins at the point of disposal. The system combines robotics, computer vision, and machine learning to eliminate human error in on-site sorting decisions. CleanRobotics reports that TrashBot can recover circular materials at a 95% accuracy rate. TrashBot has been piloted in high-traffic facilities including Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and The National Aviary. The company was selected as one of eight small businesses nationwide to receive EPA SBIR Phase II funding and was awarded $400,000 to further develop and commercialize the product. The Phase II award is intended to support continued development and commercialization of TrashBot Zero. CleanRobotics, founded in 2015 in Colorado, develops the TrashBot — an on-board machine-learning and robotic system that sorts materials at a single disposal point. The company’s devices claim roughly 90% sorting accuracy and are deployed in high-traffic locations such as shopping malls and airports. TrashBot systems provide cloud connectivity, generate data for waste audits, trigger fullness alerts, and include a large display for video content. CleanRobotics says its fleet improves material diversion from landfills by reducing contamination in recyclables. The firm plans to scale manufacturing to produce “hundreds” of systems and is targeting partnerships in China, Australia and Singapore. Funding will also support additional hires, improved manufacturing, and ramped-up research and development.