# 191 - Will AI help close the gaps in recycling? Apurba Pradhan from Everest Labs

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2023-05-05
- Length: 32m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in

## Summary

Apurba Pradhan, head of product and marketing at Everest Labs, explains how his company uses AI and robotics to automate sorting at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). He details the inefficiencies of manual labor and semi-precise optical sorters, describing how their system replaces human pickers to improve commodity purity. Pradhan highlights the company's service model, which includes 24/7 monitoring and performance guarantees to ensure ROI and address MRFs' lack of technical staff. The conversation covers the impact of the Chinese National Sword policy on domestic recycling demand and the economic viability of automation in the current market.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs#t=0) Introduction: Apurba Pradhan and Everest Labs
- [4:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs#t=274) Pradhan's Background: From Nepal to Silicon Valley
- [11:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs#t=686) Everest Labs Solution: AI and Robotics for MRFs
- [15:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs#t=957) The MRF Process: Manual Sorting and Contamination
- [22:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs#t=1345) Labor Shortages and the Case for Automation
- [27:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs#t=1628) Market Dynamics: National Sword Policy and ROI

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Everest Labs (company)
- Meyers Sustainable Packaging (company)
- Avelio (company)
- TLMI (company)
- Chinese National Sword (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Innovative Waste Recycling: AI and Robotics with Areeb Malik, Co-founder of Glacier](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2022-08-18-innovative-waste-recycling-ai-and-robotics-with-areeb-malik-co-founder-of-glacie) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [When robots recycle with Matanya Horowitz of AMP Robotics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-07-06-when-robots-recycle-with-matanya-horowitz-of-amp-robotics) (How I Built This)
- [Inside Glacier's Mission to Modernize Recycling](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2025-11-26-inside-glaciers-mission-to-modernize-recycling) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [How AMP Robotics is changing recycling; Festo wins GM gripper challenge](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2021-01-06-how-amp-robotics-is-changing-recycling-festo-wins-gm-gripper-challenge) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Episode 114: Reducing waste with robotics - Josie Gotz](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2025-03-21-episode-114-reducing-waste-with-robotics-josie-gotz) (Robot Talk)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-05-05-191-will-ai-help-close-the-gaps-in-recycling-apurba-pradhan-from-everest-labs. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.