The new automated sorting plant built by Stadler for Stockholm Vatten och Avfall marks a turning point in post-consumer packaging recovery. With a capacity of 50 tonnes per hour, the facility demonstrates how technological innovation can transform urban waste management into an effective resource recovery system, intercepting packaging that would otherwise end up in incineration.
NIR technologies for packaging: precision sorting in action
The heart of the innovation lies in the advanced NIR (Near-Infrared) and VIS spectrometry system that identifies and extracts plastics by polymer type and colour, together with ferrous and non-ferrous metals. The system can automatically recognise green bags for organic waste without opening them, preserving the quality of the compostable fraction and maximising the recovery of packaging present in the residual waste.
Particularly significant is the plant's ability to adapt to seasonal variations in waste composition through mobile conveyor belts under the rotary screens, allowing optimisation of recovery without operational interruptions.
Urban circular economy: from waste to resources
The plant's impact on the packaging supply chain is considerable: every tonne of plastic and metals recovered represents material diverted from incineration and reintroduced into the production cycle. For a city of 1.5 million inhabitants like Stockholm, this translates into a significant reduction in carbon footprint and a concrete contribution to circularity objectives.
The two parallel lines configuration ensures operational continuity even during maintenance, a crucial element for maintaining a constant flow of recovered materials to recycling supply chains.
A replicable model for Europe
Stadler's approach in Stockholm demonstrates how advanced automation can transform urban waste management into an effective materials recovery system. NIR technologies for packaging sorting, combined with magnetic separation and eddy current systems, offer precision and adaptability that make this model particularly interesting for other European cities.
The Resursutvinning Stockholm project is not just a waste treatment plant, but a technological hub that intercepts and valorises post-consumer packaging, contributing concretely to the transition towards a more circular economy in the packaging sector.