Case study
Scouting innovative waste characterisation technologies for a leading waste manager
Widening the search for waste characterisation technologies: 23+ use cases, 250+ startups assessed and pilots on the client’s sites.
Context
A leading European waste manager set out to industrialise waste characterisation across its entire value chain, from collection and sorting centres to energy recovery, composting and landfill sites. Knowing precisely what a waste stream contains has become a strategic lever: tighter regulation on recycling and traceability, safety risks on sites, and the economic value of better sorting and recovery.
An initial study had looked only at computer vision solutions running on conveyor belts. In 2023, Aster Fab took over the mission and widened its scope to complementary technologies and to unstructured environments (open skips, bunkers, storage bays, loading and unloading), where most operational challenges actually sit.
Missions
- Use case framing and technology mapping: Translating operational needs into more than 23 use cases, such as detection of batteries and gas cylinders, aluminium alloy differentiation, moisture and calorific value monitoring, refuse-derived fuel analysis, microplastics detection or hazardous waste identification. Each use case was matched with the relevant technology bricks (computer vision, LiDAR, spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging, X-ray, and more).
- Startup scouting and assessment: Sourcing solutions worldwide and scoring each one with Aster Fab’s proprietary methodology and the strategic interest assessed by the client’s teams. Every company was then positioned on four potential engagement scenarios.
- Continuous intelligence and pilot support: Bimonthly updates over several years on new use cases, competitor initiatives, fundraisings and field deployments, and support to the client’s teams in engaging the most promising startups in pilots on its sites.