A plastic bottle standing on a seaside walkway

NEXT-GENERATION RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE

Solving the recycling issue,
right where it starts.

The Problem

Less than 38% of PET bottles recycled in Japan make it back into bottles.

The rest is melted into lower-grade materials or exported overseas. This "downcycling" is driven by contamination and human error at the point of disposal — a problem no amount of downstream investment can fix.

29%

contamination rate at public recycling bins

One wrong item ruins the entire recycling batch.

91kt

of contaminated PET waste generated yearly

Tons of recyclables lost before processing even begins.

1 in 5

of locals put other trash in public recycling bins

Even locals get it wrong.

55%

of people don't fully understand recycling rules

The problem grows as visitor numbers climb.

56%

of processors cite labor shortages — manual sorting is unsustainable

An industry already stretched thin.

29%

contamination rate at public recycling bins

One wrong item ruins the entire recycling batch.

91kt

of contaminated PET waste generated yearly

Tons of recyclables lost before processing even begins.

1 in 5

of locals put other trash in public recycling bins

Even locals get it wrong.

55%

of people don't fully understand recycling rules

The problem grows as visitor numbers climb.

56%

of processors cite labor shortages — manual sorting is unsustainable

An industry already stretched thin.

Our Approach

Remove human error at the point of disposal.

Sorta is a smart recycling bin that automatically sorts and processes waste to prevent point-of-disposal contamination. By moving critical recycling steps upstream, we deliver cleaner material streams and a more efficient chain — end to end.

Step 1

Detect

AI sensors scan each item the moment it enters the bin — identifying material type, product info, and contamination level in real time.

Zero-contact material identification

Step 2

Sort

A mechanical routing system separates PET, glass, aluminum, and general waste into dedicated chambers — automatically, without user input.

Clean, separated material streams

Step 3

Process

PET bottles are crushed, drained, delabeled, and compacted at intake — removing contaminants before they ever reach downstream facilities.

High-purity PET ready for recycling

Step 4

Monitor

Real-time capacity and status data is pushed to operations teams — enabling proactive collection before overflow and continuous quality tracking.

Proactive ops, zero blind spots

The Product

One bin. Four functions. Zero contamination.

Every component is designed to operate reliably in high-traffic spaces with minimal maintenance and no user training required.

Why It Matters

Better for the system. Better for the bottom line.

Eliminate missorting

Correct sorting happens automatically — regardless of recycling knowledge.

Reduce labor costs

Preprocessing at intake lowers cost per tonne and frees staff for higher-value work.

Prevent overflow

Real-time capacity alerts keep high-traffic spaces clean before problems occur.

Collect valuable data

Every deposit is logged — feeding a live dataset for logistics, purchasing, and sustainability reporting.

Eliminate missorting

Correct sorting happens automatically — regardless of recycling knowledge.

Prevent overflow

Real-time capacity alerts keep high-traffic spaces clean before problems occur.

Collect valuable data

Every deposit is logged — feeding a live dataset for logistics, purchasing, and sustainability reporting.

Reduce labor costs

Preprocessing at intake lowers cost per tonne and frees staff for higher-value work.

Where Sorta Works

Built for high-traffic, high-volume environments.

Japan shinkansen bullet trains at a station platform

Train stations & airports

Serene Japanese garden with reflective pond

Public infrastructure — parks, streets

Shopping centers & retail

Photography of glass wall hallway in an office building

Office buildings

Large crowd at a concert inside a stadium

Entertainment facilities

Events & venues

Core Features
Detection	AI and multi-sensor array identifies material type, condition, and product information at the point of insertion.
Sorting	Automatically separates waste into three streams — PET bottles, recyclables (glass, aluminum), and general waste.
Processing	PET bottles are de-capped, drained, de-labeled, and compacted at intake — no downstream cleaning required.
Monitoring	Real-time fill-level sensing across all chambers. Staff receive automatic IoT alerts when any chamber reaches capacity.
Data logging	Every deposit is recorded — material type, condition, quantity, and timestamp — for logistics, reporting, and ESG metrics.
Physical
Dimensions	W 370 × H 1820 × D 620 mm
Capacity	154 L totalPET 76 L · Recyclables 33 L · General waste 45 L

Our Vision

Create a world where horizontal recycling is a reality, not a goal.

Today, most PET bottles that get "recycled" are melted down into lower-grade materials. We believe the infrastructure to close that loop already exists — it just needs to start at the bin.

Where We Are

Building toward full-scale deployment.

STEP 01

AIoT smart bin development

In Progress

STEP01

STEP02

STEP 02

Full-scale demo unit

Early 2027

STEP 03

Pilot / PoC deployment

2027+

STEP03