Biffa and FCC Environment among fiirst in UK to deploy AI for Environment Agency compliance reporting

Biffa and FCC Environment lead on AI-powered outbound stream sampling - a first for the UK sector to support with the expanded Material Facilities (MF) regulations

LONDON, 6 May 2026 - Biffa and FCC Environment are among the first waste management companies in the UK to submit AI-derived waste composition data on outbound material streams directly to the Environment Agency (EA), as part of their existing compliance reporting. The work represents an important operational milestone in exploring how digital tools could support regulatory reporting.

Since October 2024, expanded Material Facilities (MF) regulations have significantly increased operational demands on UK materials recovery facilities (MRFs), with an aim to improve the accuracy and consistency of composition reporting. As a result, operators continue to apply different methodologies across inbound and outbound material streams to meet these expectations. Recent work by Biffa and FCC Environment with Greyparrot has focused specifically on how AI‑supported sampling can be applied to selected outbound products as part of compliance reporting.

Biffa and FCC Environment's facilities have been running Greyparrot Analyzers for several years, which use AI cameras to monitor waste streams in real time across conveyor belts. This represents the latest capability added to Greyparrot Analyzer. Rather than periodic manual samples in outbound material streams, the system generates continuous, shift-by-shift compositional data that can be used to inform and support reporting activities.

To enable this transition, Greyparrot has developed an AI-supported sampling methodology designed to align with the Environment Agency's MF regulations and reporting requirements. As UK government guidance states:

“There are no restrictions to the use of visual detection and recognition technology for materials facility sampling, including artificial intelligence technology. However, it will remain the responsibility of materials facility operators to measure, record and be able to demonstrate to the regulator how their sampling methodology meets the regulations.”

In line with this position, responsibility for sampling accuracy and regulatory compliance remains with the facility operator.

Using this methodology, Biffa and FCC Environment successfully included Greyparrot’s AI-derived data as part of their Q1 2026 compliance submission. This marks an important moment for the sector in showing how AI-supported sampling could operate at commercial scale.

By combining AI monitoring with operational expertise and increasing access to continuous compositional data across facility operations, Biffa and FCC Environment have streamlined a complex, data-intensive reporting process, reducing the time required to capture and share data.

With Analyzer units already in place to monitor material composition and performance trends in real time, facilities like Biffa and FCC Environment are gathering data that may help the response to future changes in waste composition caused by upcoming regulatory changes.

For example, the recent household rollout of Simpler Recycling is expected to increase the volumes of mixed dry recyclates entering MRFs, while the 2027 deposit return scheme (DRS) is set to reduce high-value objects like PET bottles and aluminium cans from infeed material.

The deployment of AI-supported sampling for selected outbound material streams represents an operational breakthrough for Biffa and FCC Environment, demonstrating how digital tools can help support Materials Facility Regulations reporting when applied carefully, transparently and under operator control.

“By combining AI-driven insights with the expertise of our operations teams and technology partners, we can focus more on improving material quality, increasing recycling performance and staying ahead of evolving regulation. Access to reliable, real-time data is helping move the industry from reactive processes to smarter, data-driven action, an essential shift if we want to accelerate the circular economy at scale.” - Ian McSpirit, Head of PRFs, Biffa.

"At FCC Environment we’re continuously exploring how digital and AI‑enabled tools can help us optimise the way our facilities operate and respond to increasing data and reporting demands. The Greyparrot Analyzers have been running on our lines for some time and, combined with a robust methodology, using that data to support our Q1 mixed plastics submission to the Environment Agency was a logical next step. Access to continuous compositional data helps our teams focus on operational performance, with compliance being one of several areas where these tools can add real value " - Pedro Faraldo García, Senior Technical Manager, FCC Environment.

“This feels like a real turning point in how we understand and run waste infrastructure,” said Mikela Druckman, CEO of Greyparrot. “The UK is leading the way in what’s possible with continuous waste monitoring. This is a landmark first step towards automating compliance reporting, and it adds to the full suite of applications for Greyparrot’s waste intelligence. Operators like Biffa and FCC Environment are setting the standard for how technology can transform the way facilities operate - one I believe the rest of the world will look to.”

Greyparrot will be exhibiting at IFAT Munich (Hall B6, Stand 523, 4–7 May) and PRSE Amsterdam (RAI Amsterdam, Stand K112, 5–6 May), where the team will present the latest capabilities of its waste intelligence platform. Attendees can also take part in a new interactive AI-powered facility simulator, designed to put participants in the role of a facility manager making real-time operational decisions with AI.

About Greyparrot

Greyparrot (greyparrot.ai) is the leader in AI waste analytics, named TIME's Best Inventions 2025. With 250+ Analyzer units active across 20+ countries, Greyparrot has analysed over 52 billion waste objects in 2025 alone. Its technology unlocks waste intelligence - the actionable insight gathered from detailed waste data, used to minimise waste and optimise resource use. Greyparrot's customers span the entire waste value chain, including global operators who use Greyparrot insights to increase sorting efficiency, design more sustainable products and support data-driven regulation. Greyparrot's product suite includes Greyparrot Analyzer, Greyparrot Sync and Deepnest, the world's first AI waste intelligence platform for consumer brands and packaging producers.

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