Sorting plant in Enns

€65 million investment clears up the yellow bag

"We are setting new standards," emphasizes Kurt Bernegger, who is one of the managing directors of the joint venture behind the TriPlast plant in Enns.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/ARA Altstoff Recycling Austria AG/APA-Fotoservice/Schneeberger (2), zVg)

160 kilometers of cable were laid, 2.5 kilometers of conveyor belt installed, 38 near-infrared sensors put into operation! All this is on the business card of Europe's most modern sorting plant for lightweight packaging. The TriPlast joint venture has now put it into operation in Ennshafen after a five-month ramp-up phase.

Empty yoghurt pots, plastic bags, fruit cups, milk and drinks packaging, bubble wrap, tubes, bottles - all of this can find its way into the yellow garbage can or yellow bag, which is a piece of the waste recycling puzzle. But where does the waste actually end up?

The challenge of sorting waste

In the case of packaging waste, the different collection systems (e.g. pick-up or bring system, type of container) and the different catchment areas (rural, urban) lead to differently composed input material that is delivered to sorting plants. TriPlast's modern sensors can detect, analyze and separate 24 different types of waste in order to prepare the raw materials for recycling without any loss of quality. It is expected that around 8% of the delivered quantity will contain metal packaging and 14% will be misdirected. The remainder will be made up of various types of plastic packaging.

For several months now, the majority of Austria's lightweight packaging waste has been taken to Rheinstraße 1 in Enns. Under the name TriPlast, Bernegger GmbH from Molln, Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA) and Der-Grüne-Punkt-Holding have joined forces here in Ennshafen to build Europe's most modern plastics sorting plant.

The sorted plastic leaves the site in bale form to be made into containers for shampoos, washing-up liquid, bin liners or film(Bild: ARA Altstoff Recycling Austria AG/APA-Fotoservice/Schneeberger)

More than 65 million euros have been invested so that the waste delivered can be sorted and then recycled. Three screening drums and 2.5 kilometers of conveyor belt were installed, and 38 near-infrared sensors are used to facilitate separation.

After a five-month trial phase, the start of regular operations was celebrated today, Friday. More than 100,000 tons of lightweight packaging can now be processed in Enns every year - the plant covers half of Austria's sorting capacity.

And afterwards? The sorted plastic leaves the site in bale form and is then used to produce containers for shampoos, washing-up liquid, bin liners or film.