Waste sorting plants, together with the disposal infrastructure, serve as filters in the value chain of waste management by removing precisely sorted material fractions, which can be diverted directly into production or sold as raw materials on the local or global market, and reducing the amount of waste from final disposal. For this reason, the sorting of municipal waste has become a relevant research topic in recent decades. In general, there are two technical approaches to sorting waste into individual material streams: manual sorting and automated/mechanical sorting. The solution designed by STAVN also use the both technologies. In most cases, sorting plants use a combination of manual and automated sorting techniques, as some steps in the sorting process are best handled manually. Other steps, on the other hand, benefit from more targeted, safer and cost-effective automation. There are various technologies that can be used to sort different waste streams. These depend on the type of waste stream, e.g., waste screening (trommel, disc or oscillating screen), air separation (zigzag, rotary and crossflow classifiers, or suction hood), ballistic separation, film grippers, magnetic sorting, eddy current separation, sensor technology and manual sorting. Most of the time, these technologies are used in combination.
