Influence of plastic packaging design on the sensor-based sortability in lightweight packaging waste sorting plants

Resources Conservation and Recycling, vol. 207, pp. 107599

Abstract

Lightweight packaging (LWP) waste is the largest post-consumer plastic waste flow in Germany. A crucial step in plastic recycling is sensor-based sorting (SBS) of LWP in sorting plants. While a more sorting- and recycling-friendly product design is believed to enhance SBS and plastic recycling in general, data to estimate this potential is limited. Here, we aim to quantify the real-world sortability of LWP articles by assessing a SBS cascade for plastic-type separation in a state-of-the-art LWP sorting plant. Our results reveal a polymer-specific distribution of packaging types and quantitatively confirm negative influences of sleeves/labels, composites, dark colors, and rolling shapes on the sortability at sorting plant scale. By extrapolating our results to all LWP sorting plants in Germany, we estimate that up to 48,300 Mg/a (95 % CI: 25,900 Mg/a – 78,500 Mg/a) rigid plastics could be additionally recovered at sensor-based plastic-type separation level alone through improved sortability.

Authors 2

1. Michelle Jakobs Aachen Department of Anthropogenic Material Cycles

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Anthropogenic Material Cycles, RWTH Aachen University, Wuellnerstr. 2, 52062 Aachen, Germany

   REMONDIS GmbH & Co. KG, Tonstr. 1, 50374 Erftstadt, Germany

2. Nils Kroell corresponding Aachen Department of Anthropogenic Material Cycles

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Anthropogenic Material Cycles, RWTH Aachen University, Wuellnerstr. 2, 52062 Aachen, Germany

   STADLER Anlagenbau GmbH, Max-Planck-Str. 21, 88361 Altshausen, Germany