Way of working and advantages of sorting systems with ...

To enhance the recycling process, numerous actions, interventions, and technologies are necessary. These involve individual citizens, local administrations, and companies that manage sorting plants, culminating in the recycling facilities themselves.

Each stakeholder plays a vital role in achieving a single goal: recovering individual materials and transforming them into secondary raw materials, ready to reenter the production cycle. This effort aids in protecting the environment, conserving natural resources, and maximizing the value of waste that would otherwise be incinerated or disposed of in landfills.

Operation of Waste Sorting Plants

Sorting plants are essential for managing various types of waste, including:

• The non-differentiated component of municipal solid waste, which includes dry waste collected at the door or discarded in bins, as well as the contents of street bins.
• Waste from multi-material separate collection where different materials, such as glass, plastic, and cans, are collected together.

A successful separation process relies on the material being correctly differentiated at the source. Thus, minimizing the undifferentiated component is crucial, ensuring it contains as few recyclable materials as possible. It is essential for citizens to understand the correct waste separation techniques practiced in their municipalities and to adjust their habits accordingly.

While separate collection can significantly reduce the amount of waste categorized as "dry," the unsorted waste fraction still requires professional treatment. This necessitates specific interventions carried out in dedicated and appropriately organized sorting plants.

Unique Configuration of Sorting Plants

Every sorting plant is unique, meticulously designed to meet the specific needs of individual territories, which vary in both the quantity of waste to be treated and the quality of materials that must be selected.

Sorting plants can incorporate automatic or manual separation methods, often in combination. Even in facilities where some separation tasks are automated, a final quality control phase is typically executed manually, alongside interventions on specific waste types requiring complex handling.

A sorting facility employing manual separation is structured to enable operators to perform their tasks accurately. Waste undergoes several successive stages:

• Arrival of bagged waste and loading on a conveyor belt.
• Opening of waste bags using a lacerator or bag opener positioned directly on the line. For more information, please visit our website.
• The waste is spread along the entire surface of the belt to facilitate selection.
• Initial separation of some materials, carried out by mechanical means.
• Transition of waste to a secondary conveyor belt, leading to an elevated platform for manual separation.
• Manual waste separation, executed by trained operators removing specific materials from the general mass.
• Collection of remaining non-differentiated waste, which is then sent to a landfill or incinerator.
• Compaction of separated materials and transmission to specialized recycling centers.

Benefits of Manual Separation

The primary advantage of manual sorting lies in the ability to achieve high-quality material fractions. Human intervention allows for precise separation without relying solely on advanced machinery. This meticulous method ensures that carefully selected materials proceed to recycling, while simultaneously reducing the risk of mistakenly incinerating potentially hazardous materials, such as plastics and small electronic devices.

Additionally, establishing a sorting facility has positive economic and employment implications. It leverages local labor, particularly in regions where waste differentiation processes are still developing. This fosters a sustainable waste management ecosystem, promotes environmental awareness, and encourages proper waste treatment practices through targeted educational initiatives, ultimately enhancing domestic waste separation.

For those interested in a Manual Sorting Chute, further information is available upon request.