Bochum. With the opening of the highly modern plastic sorting plant in Bochum, the international plant manufacturer Sutco RecyclingTechnik GmbH has made a new way of separating types of plastic. After a short construction period, REMONDIS subsidiary RE Plano GmbH officially put the sorting plant for plastic waste into operation on 13 June 2023. The new plant has a unique colour and material recognition system.
LOCATION AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE PLANT
The multistorey plastic sorting plant in the north of Bochum enables the colour and material sorting of predominantly PE-HD, PP and PET packaging from lightweight packaging from the yellow bin/sack and plastics from commercial waste sorting. By using AI technology and a multi-stage photo sensor system, the sorting system can distinguish and sort up to six different colours. The packaging waste, which is delivered as bales from other plants, is assigned to the material streams "natural", "white", "green", "blue", "yellow" or "red". In addition to the colour sorting of the material, the types of polymers are separated into PE-HD, polyethylene and PET, and a distinction is made between monolayer and multilayer packaging.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SORTING PLANT FOR THE PLASTICS PROCESSING INDUSTRY
The new plastic sorting plant marks a significant step towards energy savings, sustainability and resource independence in plastics recycling. The AI technology and the multi-stage photo-sensor technology enable the production of colour- and type-pure recyclates that meet the increasing requirements of the plastics processing industry.
With this highly efficient plant, a further significant step towards circular economy through sustainable waste management concepts has been taken.