Swedish plant expansion includes 60 sorting machines from TOMRA

Svensk Plaståtervinning has extended its polymer recycling plant called Site Zero in Motala, Sweden. The facility originally opened in 2019 and was built in collaboration with Sutco and featured TOMRA sorting technology.

Mattias Philipsson, CEO of Svensk Plaståtervinning, invested in the extension of the facility to help close the loop on plastics and enable zero waste. Thanks to sorting equipment and expertise from those in the recycling industry, the plant is expected to process 46.3 tons (42 metric tons) of material per hour and recover 12 different types of plastics from mixed plastic packaging waste. 

"Around 33 percent of plastic packaging in Sweden is recycled, but unfortunately there is still a lot of recyclable materials lost. This offers great potential, one that we are committed to unlocking and transforming into a valuable opportunity for the country and the environment. Since 2019, we have successfully been producing four different types of plastics for recycling. We always wanted to do more and with the latest technology, we're able to accomplish our goals," explains Philipsson.

With Site Zero, the company's goal is to enable zero waste, zero downcycling, and zero emissions. 

"We have accompanied Svensk Plaståtervinning right from the start and have always been excited to be part of this impactful project," says Oliver Lambertz, vice president and head of operations and feedstock sourcing at TOMRA Feedstock. "Our partner, Sutco, took the lead in building the plant, and we provided all the state-of-the-art sorting technology needed to maximize material recovery. The plant we are seeing here today is the result of three partners working toward a common goal: closing the loop on plastic packaging."

Site Zero is equipped with more than 60 TOMRA AUTOSORT machines. The 3.1 mile (5 kilometre) sorting line features sophisticated sorter systems. The high-throughput technology makes it possible to process approximately 46.3 tons (42 metric tons) of recyclables per hour. What's more, the post-consumer waste is then separated into 12 different polymer types, including a variety of polyolefins, PET, PS, EPS, PVC, and more. Thanks to the combination of sorting technology and a well-designed sorting process, purity levels of up to 98 percent can be achieved. The clean material fractions are then sent to recyclers in the EU, but Site Zero is also planning to add recycling capacities to further process the main fractions locally.

"We are excited to have such strong and knowledgeable partners at our side. The collaboration in our first project has already convinced us of TOMRA and Sutco. It is the quality and flexibility their systems offer and the reliable service that made them our partners of choice. Together we aim to make Site Zero a blueprint for sorting facilities in Europe," explains Philipsson. 

All AUTOSORT machines are connected to TOMRA Insight, a cloud-based data platform for secure monitoring of all sorting lines.

"When we started working with our customer and understood their goals, it was clear that a digital monitoring tool would help optimize the process. This is where TOMRA Insight comes in. It keeps the pulse of the sorting plant by collecting sorting data, creating reports, and sending notifications if there are any inconsistencies that affect the overall performance of the sorting line. If this data is used as a strategic management tool, efficiencies can be increased and costs lowered," says Lambertz.