Automated sorting technology

TOMRA Sorting Recycling has announced its new partnership with SKM Recycling, headquartered in Laverton North, Victoria. As an industry leader in processing recyclables from household and commercial streams, SKM has selected TOMRA to supply 40 AUTOSORT units with the latest features and new 3D laser technology for three new sorting facilities.

To meet the constantly changing demands in the market, SKM is building three new plants to process over 350,000 tonnes of kerbside collected material, also called single stream, per year. Primary focus of the SKM Recycling plants is to process paper, plastics, metals and glass, sorting them into high-quality products. The plants are expected to be operational early this year.

SKM’s Laverton plant aims to become the most technically advanced and automated recyclables processing plant on the continent or even worldwide by integrating multiple steps of TOMRA sorting technology into the sorting of paper and other recyclables. This technological capability is expected to provide SKM with a strong competitive advantage and will position the company well to meet increasingly stringent end-product quality demands.

The improved sorting technology will also result in a greater percentage of recyclable product being extracted from the residential recycling stream, reduce materials unnecessarily ending up in landfill, facilitate the development of new recyclable grades to meet the demands of a changing market and deliver greater environmental benefits.

“We are convinced by TOMRA’s robust and dependable technology, but it’s their ability to support in creating the best plant concepts that made us choose to partner with TOMRA,” said SKM Business Manager Robert Italiano. “Our confidence in their technical knowledge and support is unwavering and is backed by TOMRA’s guarantee to perform. We are proud to be developing the most advanced materials recovery facilities in Australia.”

“Winning such a big contract means SKM have placed a lot of trust in TOMRA and our newest technology,” added TOMRA Sales Manager Tom Jansen. “I’m looking forward to seeing the ultra-modern plants in operation.”