Why Sorting Matters in Plastic Recycling
In industrial plastic recycling, sorting machinery plays a foundational role in ensuring optimal material recovery and increasing the profitability of recycling operations. Efficient sorting helps separate plastics by polymer type, color, and contamination level, which is critical for downstream processing and maximizing ROI.
Sorting machinery helps recycle plastics into pure, usable fractions that can be sold or reused, reducing waste and improving recycling efficiency.
Key Types of Plastic Sorting Machinery
Rumtoo offers a variety of sorting solutions tailored to meet the needs of different recycling applications. Our sorting systems include:
Air Classifiers
These advanced machines use aerodynamic properties to separate plastics based on shape, size and other aerodynamic characteristics. Air classifiers remove lightweight contaminants like foam or films, ensuring cleaner material for further processing.
Eddy Current Separators
Utilizing powerful magnetic fields, these machines separate non-ferrous metals from plastic waste, ensuring valuable materials like aluminum are recovered and contaminants are eliminated.
Density Separators
Density separators use water or air flotation mechanisms to exploit the density differences between plastics, allowing light materials such as PET to float while heavier ones sink for further processing.
Optical Sorters
These advanced machines use optical sensors and cameras to identify plastics based on color, shape, size and polymer type in real time. Optical sorters efficiently separate different plastics, ensuring higher-quality material recovery.
Advantages of Sorting Machinery
- Increased efficiency through automation
- Higher material recovery and purity
- Reduced labor costs
- Supports sustainability and circular economy goals
Disadvantages of Sorting Machinery
- Initial investment can be high
- Requires space and infrastructure setup
- Maintenance can be complex for advanced systems
How to Choose the Right Sorting Machinery for Your Needs
When selecting sorting machinery for your recycling facility, consider factors such as:
- Feedstock type and material characteristics (e.g., PET, HDPE, PVC)
- Throughput requirements (how much material needs to be processed per hour)
- Contamination levels (how pure you want your materials to be)
- Operational costs, including energy consumption and maintenance