Greyparrot says 89% of the aluminium passing through Circular Services' Sunset Park MRF in Brooklyn is recoverable, equivalent to around 91,000 aluminium cans per day. The companies are now preparing pilot projects to assess whether AI-based monitoring can improve material recovery and plant performance.

Greyparrot's Analyzer AI systems have already been installed at the facility and are currently passively monitoring material flows.

Testing AI in plant operations

This autumn, Circular Services and Greyparrot plan to test how AI-generated alerts can support plant management, product quality and detailed production reporting.

The Sunset Park installation, completed in the first quarter of 2026, is the first use of AI software at a Circular Services facility, according to the company.

Potential to scale

According to Circular Services' vice president of Eastern Region recycling operations, the company is considering whether the technology could eventually be deployed across its portfolio of 38 MRFs.

The project comes as aluminium can recycling rates remain under pressure in the U.S. Recycling aluminium requires significantly less energy than producing primary aluminium, making recovery from mixed recycling streams particularly important.

For MRF operators, the pilot will test whether continuous AI-based material data can move beyond monitoring and become a tool for operational decisions and higher-value material recovery.