Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

The main operating principles of
a dry recyclable materials sorting

Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7

Step 1

Supply system

The waste unloaded by the collection trucks is fed into the line through a metering hopper that ensures a steady flow of waste to the rest of the line.

Step 2

Pre-sorting by size

The waste is separated by size, using trommels or ballistic separators.

Small items, which are difficult to recycle and could be dangerous for the operators, are removed from the convey or belt. Very large items are processed separately.

Step 3

Separation by shapes

Flat waste (paper, cardboard, etc.) is separated from bulk waste (plastic bottles and containers) using ballistic separators.

Step 4

Sorting by materials

Iron and steel packages are separated out by magnetised systems called overbands; aluminium items are captured by eddy current separators.
Optical sorting machines scan the products to identify and separate out the different types of plastic, paper and cardboard.

Step 5

Quality control

Each material is then scanned to remove the last sorting errors. This step is generally carried out by manual inspection. Recently, in some plants, AI-powered sorting robots have been installed to carry out this process

Step 6

Packaging

Each material is then compressed and packaged into “bales”.

Step 7

Bales

These bales are then sent to a processing facility that will convert them into resources.
Residue from the sorting process can then be converted into solid recovered fuel (SRF) or refuse‑derived fuel (RDF) in a dedicated plant.

Schéma de tri - Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)

What are dry recyclable materials ?

Dry recyclable materials comprise all of the waste that households have pre-sorted and deposited in the selective sorting bins or at the dedicated voluntary drop-off points. This recyclable waste consists of paper, cardboard, aluminium, metal packaging and the various types of plastic that compose our packaging, such as PET, PE/PP, HDPE, etc.

The waste in these yellow rubbish bins is collected separately from household waste and taken to a sorting centre. In order for this waste to be recycled, it must first be sorted to achieve a sufficient level of purity for it to be processed into a raw material.

Close-up on: ballistic separators

Ballistic separators perform the “core process” in next-generation waste sorting centres. They are used to separate a stream of mixed materials into three or four categories, based on the principle that, depending on their physical properties, materials react differently when they are moving.

The ballistic separator designed by AKTID delivers an excellent quality of separation and processes an additional 30% of throughput by leveraging:

Unrivalled durability
Over 20m² of screening area
Variable, real-time adjustable speed of operation
Slats’ with a large range of movement
Adjustable inclination during operation
Easily-adjustable screening grids

Aktid Smart Solutions® : a major asset for packaging materials sorting

Since 2018, Aktid has been developing Aktid Smart Solutions®—an exclusive range of intelligent technologies dedicated to the continuous optimization of sorting line performance.

Discover how Aktid Smart Solutions® unlock the full potential of sorting processes:

Flow homogenization for improved sorting performance,
Immediate reduction of downtimes, increasing process availability,
Reliable analysis tools for real-time supervision and line performance monitoring,
Automatic adaptation to flow variations, ensuring operations consistently run under optimal conditions.

Learn more

Aktid know-how

Through close to 30 years’ experience in handling waste and commissioning the largest waste sorting centres in France, AKTID has acquired a unique level of expertise in creating and upgrading selective collection waste sorting centres. Our structured organisation, our experience and our know-how make AKTID the go-to partner for your selective-collection waste processing projects.

An AKTID dry recyclable materials sorting centre brings you:

High-level performance over the long term
Low renewal costs
Special attention paid to the plant operators’ working conditions
Very easy operation and maintenance
Overall optimisation of our facilities’ energy consumption
Guidance and support to bring the operating teams up to speed with the industrial plant