Stockholm-based Sortrace, a company developing AI-powered technology for waste analysis, has raised approximately $800,000 in a funding round led by Almi Invest, with participation from Antler, Gorilla Capital and several angel investors.

Founded by Rahel Surshi (CEO) and Tomas Kjellstrand, Sortrace develops technology that combines computer vision, camera sensors and data analytics to help municipalities and waste management companies monitor household waste sorting and identify areas where improvements are needed.

Swedish municipalities have taken on increasing responsibility for ensuring that household waste is sorted correctly. However, limited access to data on waste composition makes it difficult to assess the effectiveness of collection systems and initiatives aimed at improving recycling rates.

Sortrace aims to address this challenge by using cameras installed on waste collection vehicles to analyse household waste as bins are emptied. Its AI technology identifies and analyses waste contents, converting images into structured data that can be used to detect incorrect sorting and monitor waste collection patterns.

Municipalities face new requirements and are investing heavily in collection and in information to households. But without data, no one knows whether those efforts work. We make mis-sorting visible at every emptying, so municipalities can act where the problems actually are,

said Rahel Surshi, CEO and co-founder of Sortrace.

The results are linked to individual bin and collection route data, allowing municipalities and waste management companies to identify areas where sorting practices need improvement.

The technology is designed to support more informed decision-making, potentially reducing waste management costs, limiting the amount of waste sent to incineration and increasing recycling rates. According to Sortrace, the analysis is privacy-protected, with images stored within the EU.

Sortrace already works with several municipalities and organisations in the recycling sector.

The new investment will support Sortrace's efforts to meet growing demand from municipalities and expand the application of its technology beyond waste collection vehicles to other stages of the waste management process.