INNOSORT

 

The objective of the Danish INNOSORT-Project is to determine potential increases in recycling and material efficiency by implementing innovative waste management approaches such as sensor based sorting technologies and robotics.

Focusing on the Danish island of Funen as a case region, system analyses were conducted mapping the existing collection and treatment systems and creating a database for the inventory of all waste and valuable material flows, such as recyclable materials (metals, plastics, paper, glass), biomass and refused derived fuel (RDF).

Estimations of the availability, composition and quality of waste were extrapolated and processed for full management system modelling.

Based on techno-economic modelling of future scenarios including central sorting plants for different waste flows with each of them showing fluctuating compositions and qualities, the potential to increase recycling efficiency was identified and assessed following a life cycle approach to determine environmental indicators, e.g. the global warming potential and the resource efficiency.

The investigated future scenarios include systems of commingled kerbside collection of recyclables, container collection for glass, recycling centers, public collection schemes, separate collection of biowaste and/or paper, central sorting of residual municipal solid waste (MSW)

The Department for Processing and Recycling was involved into the Innosort Project funded by the Danish government as a subcontractor for scientific consultancy and modelling. For further information about the project, please see the Innosort website.