Mechanical sorting is the separation of waste by machines instead of by hand. Each machine exploits a different physical property: size, weight, shape, magnetism, density or the way a material reflects light.
A typical line uses trommels and screens to sort by size, air classifiers and ballistic separators to split light film from heavy rigid items, magnets and eddy-current separators to remove metals, and optical NIR sorters to identify polymers. Float-sink tanks then separate plastics by density. Mechanical sorting handles large volumes quickly and consistently, which is why it is central to a material recovery facility. It is usually combined with manual sorting for final quality control.
CII Sustainable Plastic Packaging Awards 2026
Lucro took home the Excellence award for Incorporation of Recycled Content in both rigid and flexible packaging at the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Sustainable Plastic Packaging Awards 2026:
Post-consumer plastic, back on the shelf as bottles and pouches. The jury noticed.
