TECHNOLOGY | SORTING
PreZero said the plant is part of its strategy to
Plastretur collects used plastic packaging from all over Norway and transports it to the Områ sorting facility in Indre Østfold
IMAGE: OMRÅ A panel discussion moderated by Charlie Mercer
of the Startup Coalition explored the importance of clarity in a complex system. Biffa’s head of innovation, Amy Hooper, said: “Platforms like Deepnest make conversations with brands so much easier – you can show that if you make this change, we can see the concrete impact.” Amcor’s circular economy director Mark Roberts warned that well-intentioned formats such as compostables and composite cartons often fail in UK recycling systems: “The challenge is making sure we’re using the right materials for the right products.” Greyparrot co-founder Ambarish Mitra called the launch a “turning point” for the sector: “We chose waste because we care about it… This data, if used well, will enable collaboration that makes real change.”
New facilities
Germany-based multinational recycler PreZero has opened a new lightweight packaging sorting plant in Sollenau, Austria, which it describes as one of the most modern in Europe. The 44,000 m² facility has a maximum annual capacity of 100,000 tonnes. It uses 35 NIR separators and AI-based object recognition to sort pot-consumer packaging waste with “minimal” manual intervention. A key feature is the integration of the BatterySort
system from
WeSort.AI, designed to reduce fire risk from lithium batteries mistakenly discarded with household packaging waste. The system combines X-ray transmission and machine learning to identify batteries and battery-powered devices at the intake stage. Detected items are removed from the waste stream using air jets and deposited in fireproof containers. Incorrectly disposed batteries have become a significant hazard for recycling facilities, with the German Federal Waste Management Assn estimat- ing quarterly fire-related losses at around €250m in late 2024.
34 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | September 2025
increase the proportion of waste processed within Europe and reduce operational downtime from fire incidents. “The prerequisite for this is optimal waste separation and effective recycling. This is the only way to reuse high-quality recyclable materials and return them to the raw materials cycle,” said Dietmar Böhm, CEO of PreZero International. “With the pioneering sorting plant in Sollenau, we are making a significant contribution to European resource sovereignty.” The site is expected to serve as a model for future upgrades across its network. After two years of construction, Norway’s new 13,000 m2
Områ plastic sorting facility is in the
“warm” commissioning phase. Jointly owned by Tomra Feedstock – a business unit focused on creating high-quality plastic feedstock from waste streams that would otherwise not be recycled – and Plastretur, the non-profit responsible for collecting and recycling plastic packaging in Norway, the plant began commissioning on 28 April, with the first bale of plastic waste placed on the conveyor. Områ is a Norwegian word meaning to rethink
or reconsider, and also a blend of “om” (about/ around) and “rå” (raw). Joachim Amland, Senior Vice President and head of Tomra Feedstock, said: “We are pleased with the name we have chosen – Områ evokes some important associations that we think make it an excellent choice for Norway’s first national facility designed to capture all types of plastic from the waste stream and give it a new life as a raw material for new plastic products.” He continued: “Sorting is essential to increase
the degree to which plastic can be recycled. By sorting plastic into the purest monofractions, it can then be recycled and used again. In this new national facility we are using Tomra’s most ad- vanced sensor technology and machine learning capabilities to be able to deliver the quality of raw material that recyclers need.” Following warm commissioning, the plant will
ramp up operations over the autumn ahead of its official opening on 5 November 2025. At capacity it will be able to process 90,000 tonnes of plastic packaging per year, with the capability to sort plastic packaging into ten different polymer categories. Also in Norway, recycling company Infinitum has
started a new sorting plant for packaging at Skurve, on the southwest coast of the country. The plant was opened in November 2024 in collaboration with Nordic Recycling Systems (NRS), a full-service supplier of technical solutions for handling and recycling of used beverage containers. Pellenc ST technology installed at the plant comprises a Compact+ NIR sorter used to recover all PET bottles
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
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