Benedict Von Spankeren, CEO and founder of waste analysis company Wasteer spoke to Izzy Felton about how AI technology is helping incinerator efficiency, digitalisation and the 2025 Energy from Waste Conference. 

Two years ago, waste analysis company Wasteer entered the energy from waste market, offering EfW companies’ solutions to tackle digitalisation and sorting processes. Their flagship product of waste analysis uses AI to capture and detect different contaminants within the waste stream, as their CEO and founder Benedict Von Spankeren explains:

“We use visual data or visual sensors to capture images of incoming, high-volume waste streams. These images are then analysed and detect different contaminants. [Wasteer’s technology] defines the composition of the waste and provides this knowledge in real time to the operators, so that the crane operator, for example, then gets a notification as soon as something is in the waste stream which shouldn't be in there.”

On top of this product, Wasteer is also helping companies within the waste sector digitalise, by providing digital platforms for companies to store their “waste relevant information” – from laboratory test data to experience values – as well as technology to help facilities with waste inspections.

Currently, the company works in 17 different European plants, namely in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Poland and Italy. In November last year, they entered a partnership with UK-based EfW enfinium, on their Ferrybridge 2 facility in Yorkshire, to help optimise the day-to-day performance of its facilities.

We are not a company which is still looking for a product market fit,” he said.

Mr Spankeren explained why AI technology is so useful in the world of waste:

“Waste is a very heterogeneous material, constantly changing. Today’s waste will be very different from tomorrow’s. It's also an industry where everyone tries to hide things – it's not at all a clear waste stream where you know exactly what is going to be in there, so you can’t treat it as a product. For example, it's not like coal, which is always the same, so you can perfectly burn it and produce energy. Waste is very different. And that is the key problem in the market. If you want to increase your output, which of course you would like to do because that means money, you have to understand what is coming in.”

Understanding what is in the waste that comes into a plant is crucial in improving operations – from controlling the mixing inside of a bunker and controlling the calorific value in the incineration process, to lowering downtimes by detecting contaminants which would usually cause a shutdown. Benedict referenced the ever-growing problem of gas bottles exploding while in facilities and how these kinds of products are causing waste management to become increasingly more complex. To deal with that, there is a clear need for more sophisticated technology, something that Benedict feels Wasteer offers. However, there is still some scepticism around AI, so it’s up to companies like Wasteer to convince EfWs that the new technology isn’t as scary as it seems.

“It's extremely difficult if you want to digitise a business which is run manually, or very traditionally, for a long period of time. We still have customers who are using fax machines - the gap between this and AI is very big, and our approach is always that we have to make it tangible. AI always sounds a little bit suspicious. Everyone talks about it, but no one really knows what it is. So, what we are trying to do is just explain [how the technology works]. Because it's not magic, it's a very logical [technology].”

AI needs to be trained, learning and improving by being provided with more information, which is another reason Wasteer is so eager to put its technology out there. The more facilities that use Wasteer's AI technology, the more accurate and useful the AI waste analysis is. Alongside Wasteer’s work with 17 different facilities across Europe, late last year AI company, Open AI, launched its first version of image analysis, which has also allowed Wasteer to refine its technology further.

“That was the turning point for us as a company,” Benedict explained. “Because that was the moment where we leveraged that technology to improve our own algorithms. That is the key difference between us and other competitors out there doing waste analysis because the level of analysis and also the diversity of things we can detect is way higher than all the other companies out there.”

Wasteer’s approach to new customers is being on the ground, visiting plants, and facilitating a pilot to help show potential clients the benefits of the technology without forcing them into a huge investment. This offers them the chance to present some results, create trust within the product and prove AI “isn’t something magical, but is really something useful”. He added:

Our experience has always been that as soon as we create the first results, people get quite excited about it and start to think ahead saying, ‘OK, if we can do that, it would be amazing if we can do this too.’”

We asked Benedict what he would like to see happen to the waste sector over the next decade. A better circular economy and a greater appreciation for the waste sector seemed to be at the forefront of his wishes. “What I would love to see, is that we gain a deeper understanding of the inputs and waste streams so that we make better use of them,” he said. “Currently, we are still burning stuff which shouldn't be burned, still trying to recycle stuff which shouldn't be recycled and still putting stuff in landfills. 40% of waste in Europe is still being dumped in a landfill. I would like to see that waste becoming a resource. This industry sees itself just as someone who takes care of waste. But I want to see an industry that says, you know what, we are actually an energy provider and a resource.”

Wasteer’s approach to changing the waste sector is by informing and educating the sector on the benefits of new technologies. Whether that be by digitalising their systems, to using AI to improve operations. And it seems they feel the same way about the importance of the 2025 Energy from Waste Conference too – which the company is a gold sponsor of this year. “It’s great to exchange experiences, understand the wider market, form partnerships and, of course, find new customers.” And like they do with their pilot trials, Wasteer likes to be on the ground with their conferences too:

I think personal contacts are important. It's important to shake hands. It's important to have a drink together, to have a chat together. You can have way better discussions over a beer than, to be honest, in front of a laptop.”

Wasteer are an official sponsor for the 2025 Energy from Waste Conference, taking place in London on 5-6 March. Find an exclusive EfW Network discount code here!