Waste Sorting & Recycling Patents: Who Leads, Gaps 2026
- 109 of 129 records sit in B07C object-sorting, making sensor-and-control sorting logic the most heavily occupied claim space, far ahead of wet separation, robotics or AI scoring.
- Filings rose from 6 in 2017 to 15 in 2026, with growth continuing but slowing — 2022 already reached 14, close to the current peak.
- The US draws 41 filings and India 33, putting a large emerging recycling-infrastructure market almost on par with the most mature filing jurisdiction.
What this landscape covers
This review covers 129 published records filed between 2015 and 2026 that match near-infrared sorting, robotic picking, purity-of-recyclate and contamination/throughput language against the B07C, B03B and B29B classification set. It spans material recovery facility systems, plastics preparation and the data layer used to run and certify a sorting line.
Filings climbed from 6 in 2017 to a current peak of 15 in 2026, with growth visibly slowing since the 2022 midpoint. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2026 figure will likely rise once pending applications publish; treat the most recent year as a floor, not a ceiling.
Filing trends and technology composition
The filing curve and IPC spread below show where invention activity in waste sorting and recycling has concentrated since 2017, and which adjacent technology areas are only lightly touched so far.
Filings climbed from 6 in 2017 to 15 in 2026
Growth is continuing but slowing: the midpoint year 2022 already reached 14 filings, close to the 2026 peak of 15. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the most recent year is understated and the true 2026 total will likely sit higher once outstanding applications publish.
B07C object-sorting dominates the IPC spread
B07C accounts for 109 of 129 records, far ahead of B03B wet separation (42), B07B sieving (28), B65F refuse handling (21), B29B plastics preparation (18), B25J robotics (16), G06Q data processing (13) and G06N AI models (11). The gap between B07C and everything else indicates that sensor-and-control sorting logic is the most heavily occupied claim space, while robotics, AI scoring and plastics-prep integration remain comparatively open.
Shares are the percentage of the 129 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Solid Waste Sorting and Recycling Technology with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about solid waste sorting and recycling technology and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited prior art
Efficient material recovery facility (US11679419B2)
An efficient material recovery facility is disclosed, including a first sorting device configured to process an instruction and remove a target item from a set of items, after which the remaining set is transported to a second sorting device of the same sorting device type, which performs its own removal action on a different target item.Filed by AMP Robotics Corporation, granted 2023-06-20 — abstract trimmed for length.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20070278140A1 | Restricted access waste sorting system | 141 |
| 2 | US20190217342A1 | Autonomous data collection and system control for material recovery facilities | 82 |
| 3 | US20220331841A1 | Methods and arrangements to aid recycling | 65 |
| 4 | US7341156B2 | Systems and methods for sorting, collecting data pertaining to and certifying recyclables at a material recov… | 64 |
| 5 | US7264124B2 | Systems and methods for sorting recyclables at a material recovery facility | 59 |
| 6 | US20050242006A1 | Systems and methods for sorting, collecting data pertaining to and certifying recyclables at a material recov… | 58 |
| 7 | US5101977A | Solid waste sorting system | 58 |
| 8 | US20080237093A1 | Systems and Methods For Sorting Recyclables at a Material Recovery Facility | 56 |
| 9 | US20060254957A1 | Systems and methods for sorting recyclables at a material recovery facility | 51 |
| 10 | US20050126958A1 | Systems and methods for sorting recyclables at a material recovery facility | 50 |
Citation counts reflect influence within this searched corpus; older filings have had more time to accumulate citations and should be read as historically influential rather than currently dominant.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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These figures point to a field where the detection layer is crowded, filing activity is still climbing, and collaboration between filers remains rare.
Sorting logic is the densest claim space
With 109 of 129 records classified under B07C object sorting, the bulk of documented invention is aimed at detection, instruction and diversion mechanisms rather than at separation chemistry or bulk material handling.
Growth is real but decelerating
Filings nearly tripled from 2017 to the current peak year, but the midpoint year 2022 was already close to that peak, indicating the growth curve is flattening rather than accelerating further.
Two jurisdictions dominate receiving offices
The United States and India together account for the large majority of receiving-office activity in this dataset, ahead of EPO, PCT, Canadian and Australian filings combined.
Most filers work alone
Only 8 co-assignee pairs appear across the full dataset, with the strongest links tied to a small cluster of individuals and one company, suggesting joint filing is the exception rather than the norm in this field.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to solid waste sorting and recycling technology, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and what is left open
Recent-year filing activity across the tracked assignees has gone quiet, with each of the leading names showing zero filings in the latest year in this dataset — consistent with the publication lag rather than a slowdown in real R&D. The technology composition below points to where new entrants could still stake a defensible claim.
A moderately concentrated field
With 129 families and only 8 co-assignee pairs, most invention activity here is filed by single entities rather than joint ventures, and the strongest collaboration links trace to one company and two named individuals.
A lag, not necessarily a retreat
Every one of the most active assignees shows zero recorded filings in the latest year, which is expected given an 18-month publication lag rather than evidence that these firms have stopped filing.
Older MRF systems patents still anchor the art
The most-cited record in the dataset, a restricted-access waste sorting system, and several material-recovery-facility sorting-and-certification patents from the mid-2000s remain the reference point that newer filings are measured against.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Casella Waste Systems | 0 | — |
| EMERGING ACQUISITIONS LLC | 0 | — |
| Zen Robotics Ltd. | 0 | — |
| CleanRobotics Inc. | 0 | — |
| Procter & Gamble | 0 | — |
| GRL Investment Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| DUFFY SEAN P | 0 | — |
| BOHLIG JAMES W | 0 | — |
Where to take this next
The dataset points to a crowded sorting-logic core and several thinner adjacent branches. The next step depends on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate or staking new claim territory.
Run a freedom-to-operate check on sequential sorting architectures
If a design uses two or more same-type sorting devices in sequence, check it against the claim structure in US11679419B2 and the older MRF certification patents before finalising a line layout.
Compare claims in EurekaExplore the AI-scoring and feed-control white space
G06N and G06Q together account for only 24 of 129 records despite sitting on top of a dense sorting core, suggesting real room for claims tying real-time purity data to feed or pricing logic.
Explore white space in EurekaFrequently asked questions
This dataset covers 129 published records across the 2015–2026 window, all mapped to 129 distinct patent families in the assignee ranking. The families span optical and near-infrared sorting, robotic picking, wet separation, plastics preparation and the data/software layer that coordinates a material recovery facility. Because the corpus is filtered to a specific search string and IPC set, it represents a slice of the field rather than every waste-sorting filing ever made.
The United States leads with 41 filings in this dataset, followed by India at 33, the European Patent Office at 19, WIPO/PCT filings at 17, Canada at 7 and Australia at 3. The strong India figure alongside the US suggests filers are pursuing protection in both a mature recycling-infrastructure market and a large emerging one, rather than concentrating solely on established Western jurisdictions.
B07C, covering postal and object sorting, appears in 109 of the 129 records, making sensor-driven detection and diversion the dominant claim area by a wide margin. Wet separation (B03B, 42) and sieving (B07B, 28) are the next largest categories, while robotics (B25J, 16), business/data processing (G06Q, 13) and AI-model computing (G06N, 11) trail well behind. That gap points to sorting logic and hardware as the most crowded space, with the software and robotics layers still comparatively open for new claims.
The most-cited record in this dataset is US20070278140A1, 'Restricted access waste sorting system,' with 141 citations, followed by US20190217342A1 on autonomous data collection for material recovery facilities at 82 citations. Two older US patents on sorting-and-certifying recyclables at a material recovery facility, US7341156B2 and US7264124B2, also carry high citation counts. High citation counts mark historical influence within this searched corpus rather than current commercial dominance, since older filings have simply had more time to accumulate citations.
Near-infrared and other sensor-based object sorting, captured under IPC B07C, is far more heavily represented at 109 of 129 records than robotic manipulation under B25J at 16 records. This does not mean robotic picking is technically inferior; it means the detection-and-instruction layer has attracted the bulk of documented claim activity, while robotic arm mechanics and grippers remain a comparatively thin filing area that a new entrant could still stake out with a specific claim.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.