OPERATIONS
Black scans identify plastics that are difficult to sort in conventional plants.
PREZERO’S NEW SORTING PLANT FOR LIGHTWEIGHT PLASTIC PACKAGING UP TO 120,000 TONS OF PACKAGING WILL BE PROCESSED ANNUALLY
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reZero has launched Europe’s newest sorting plant for lightweight packaging in Eitting, Bavaria. After almost a year of construction, up to 120,000 tons of lightweight packaging will be processed for recycling every year. The plant, with a capital expenditure of about 40 million euros, provides 50 jobs and was built as part of a strategic partnership on the site of the local Wurzer Group. In the future, the plant can operate around the clock, 365 days a year. The plant utilizes the latest technology in its sorting process, including black scans that identify black plastics that are difficult to sort in conventional plants. Sorting robots also support employees when it comes to quality control and re-sorting. Based
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on artificial intelligence, the fully automatic sorting plant will surpass all sorting quotas outlined under the Packaging Act adopted in 2019. The collected packaging material is sorted into a total of 18 different fractions. This includes polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene, and polystyrene. Unlike in other plants, the respective fractions can also be sorted by colour. Using the latest detection technology and innovative separating units, manual sorting can be largely eliminated. “With the commissioning of the plant in Eitting, we’re expanding our existing network of high-performance lightweight packaging sorting systems, not just in terms of space, but also in terms of quantity. With a total annual
recyclingproductnews.com | APRIL 2022
capacity of all our plants in Germany of around 600,000 tons, we’re establishing ourselves as part of the absolute frontrunners in this market segment,” says Carsten Dülfer, CEO of PreZero Germany. The commissioning of
national structures, we are closing a geographical gap with the location in Eitting,” says Christian Kampmann, head of business unit sorting. “In particular, our recycling plants in Austria and Italy are very easily reached from
Using the latest detection technology and innovative separating units, manual sorting can be largely eliminated. the new plant will play an important role in sorting recyclable materials, and eventually producing new products from them. “With regard to our inter-
a logistical point of view. In the future, they will be able to access material that has been processed according to type and use it for subsequent production processes.”
