Watching eye encourages plastics recycling
FossilEye is Vattenfall’s innovative solution for quickly measuring the plastic content in waste before energy recovery.
Using a digital eye in the form of cameras, the tool quickly determines what is plastic in the waste, hence the name FossilEye. The solution provides feedback on the extent to which plastic has been removed earlier in the waste management chain.
The aim is to encourage initiatives earlier in the waste cycle to reduce the amount of plastic and thereby fossil emissions from the waste. The technology has been developed by the company RoboWaste, based on innovative ideas from the three energy companies Vattenfall, Tekniska Verken Linköping, and Umeå Energi.
During 2025, development has progressed with improved waste feeding solutions and refined calibration methods that increase measurement stability and accuracy. A practical development project with RoboWaste – the company behind the technology – began in January 2026, with implementation of these upgrades in the pilot installation planned before summer.
Once the upgraded system is in place, Vattenfall Heat, together with Tekniska Verken Linköping and Umeå Energi, intends to run a verification and certification programme for FossilEye. These steps bring the technology closer to becoming a commercial solution that can help accelerate the transition towards lower fossil content in waste and energy recovery.
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