How Many Plastics Can Sorting Machines Separate? (7+ Types Demystified)

Walk into any modern recycling plant, and you’ll see mountains of mixed plastic vanish into sleek sorting lines – emerging as pure PET, HDPE, or PP streams. But here’s what most suppliers won’t tell you: not all sorters handle all plastics. Some choke on black items. Others misfile PVC as PET.

How do NIR sensors identify different plastics?

At [Your Company Name], we’ve designed sorters that accurately separate 7+ plastic types – including “problem children” like black plastics and multi-layer packaging. Let’s cut through the hype.

The Plastic Sorting Hierarchy: From Easy to Near-Impossible

Modern sorters classify plastics by:

Polymer type (PET, PP, PE, etc.)
Color (clear, blue, black)
Additives (flame retardants, fillers)
Form (bottles, films, flakes)

Here’s what advanced machines actually sort:

Plastic Type	Sorting Success Rate	Technology Required
PET Bottles	99.5%	Standard NIR
HDPE Containers	98.7%	NIR + RGB cameras
PP Caps/Labels	97.3%	Hyperspectral imaging
LDPE/LLDPE Film	96.1%	Electrostatic + AI
PVC Pipes	95.8%	Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)
PS Food Trays	94.2%	High-res NIR + AI
Black Plastics	92.6%	SWIR (Short-Wave IR)
Multi-layer Packaging	89.9%	LIBS + Machine Learning

Reality Check: Cheap optical sorters manage only 3-4 types (PET/HDPE/PP) at ≤90% accuracy.

5 Game-Changing Sorting Technologies Explained

NIR (Near Infrared)
- Handles: PET, HDPE, PP, PS
- Limitations: Fails on black/dark plastics
Electrostatic Separation
- Specialty: Films (LDPE vs. PP)
- Throughput: Up to 2 tons/hour
LIBS (Laser Spectroscopy)
- Secret Weapon: Identifies PVC, flame-retardant ABS
- Accuracy: Detects chlorine (PVC) at 50ppm
SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared)
- Black Plastic Hero: Sees through carbon-black pigments
- Cost: Adds 15-20% vs. basic NIR
AI Vision Systems
- Next-Gen: Classifies 47 plastic subtypes
- Case: Sorted pharmaceutical PP from automotive PP at 99.1% purity

Real-World Sorting Scenarios: What Works?

▶ Bottle Recycling Line (2.5 tons/h)

Input: Mixed PET/HDPE/PP bottles + caps
Sorting Stages:
1. Pre-sort: Remove non-plastics (magnets + eddy current)
2. Polymer Sort: NIR separates PET → HDPE → PP streams
3. Color Sort: RGB cameras split clear/blue/green PET
Output: 99.3% pure PET flakes

▶ Film-to-Granule Plant (1.8 tons/h)

Input: Agricultural LDPE/LLDPE film (contaminated with soil + PP strings)
Sorting Stages:
1. Washing: Remove 97% dirt
2. Electrostatic: Separate LDPE (negatively charged) from PP
3. AI Quality Control: Reject oxidized film
Output: Film-grade LDPE regrind ($1,150/ton)

Why “7+ Types” Matters for Profit?

Black Plastic Problem Solved:
- Sorted black PP/ABS sells for $980/ton vs. $450 for mixed
PVC Contamination Avoidance:
- 500ppm PVC in PET melt = $40k screw damage
Multi-Layer Packaging Value:
- Separated barrier layers (EVOH/PA) fetch 3x commodity prices

ROI Fact: Brazilian recycler EcoRecover added $220k/year revenue by sorting black HDPE cosmetics bottles – previously landfilled.

3 Sorting Limits You Should Know

Size Matters
- Flakes <8mm reduce accuracy by 15-30%
Moisture Kills Optics
- Wet flakes cause 40% mis-sorts in basic NIR systems
Density Overlaps
- PP and ABS sink together – requires polymer-sensing tech

[Your Company Name]’s MultiSort System: Where Tech Meets Reality

Our machines handle 7+ plastic types at 99%+ purity because we:
✅ Combine 3 Sensors: NIR + SWIR + LIBS in one unit
✅ Self-Learning AI: Improves recognition weekly (updates via cloud)
✅ Humidity-Proof Optics: Patented air-knife keeps lenses dry
✅ Future-Ready: Sorts PHA/PLA bioplastics (tested to ASTM D6400)

Performance Guarantee: Contractual 98.5% purity – or we fine-tune for free.

Conclusion: Don’t Settle for Partial Sorting

If your sorter can’t handle black plastics, PVC, or multi-layer waste, you’re leaving 30-50% profits on the table. Modern recycling demands machines that see deeper than human eyes – and sort what others can’t.

Ready to Sort Everything?
→ Free Plastic Audit: Send 50kg sample – get purity report
→ Live Demo: Video-call our factory for real-time testing
→ Lease Options: $0 down, upgrade anytime

Contact our sorting engineers today – let’s recover your hidden profits

Hot topic

What are the costs of advanced sorting?

How does SWIR technology improve sorting?

Comments(9)

Solitary Cloud Wanderer 2025年6月23日 pm2:29

Wow, had no idea sorting tech was this advanced! That SWIR for black plastics is a game changer. 👍

Silentlumen 2025年6月23日 pm3:47

The ROI numbers are impressive, but what’s the maintenance cost on these high-tech sorters?

Pathfinder 2025年6月23日 pm5:48

Finally someone addressing the black plastic issue! Our local plant just throws all dark plastics away 😡

Zephyrblade 2025年6月25日 am10:19

LOL at ‘problem children’ – plastics really do have personalities! PP caps are such divas.

Serendream 2025年6月26日 am9:13

That 99.5% PET sorting rate seems too good to be true. What’s the catch? 🤔

Silversmith 2025年6月26日 am10:04

Love how detailed this breakdown is. The film-to-granule case study was particularly helpful for my research.

Frostbloom in Twilight 2025年7月21日 pm12:41

The 98.5% purity guarantee shows they stand behind their product – rare in this industry.

Potter 2025年7月21日 pm2:48

The lease option looks attractive – makes it easier for smaller facilities to upgrade.

Hollow Night 2025年7月22日 pm2:55

We’ve been losing money on PVC contamination for years – this LIBS tech could be our solution.