Colour sorting
Plastic Colour Sorting
SORTPLAST provides plastic colour sorting services in Barcelona, Spain, for shredded plastics and plastic flakes. Our toll sorting service is based on optical colour sorting technology to separate material into fractions by colour, shade and appearance.
Colour separation can be studied for high-density polyethylene (HDPE), PP, PS, PET and other polymers. Each plastic color sorting project is configured around the material’s composition and target fractions, subject to technical feasibility and assessment of the material’s actual characteristics.
For colour sorting, the input polymer type does not limit the scope of the service. SORTPLAST can assess shredded plastics from different families and separate any target colour or combination of colours, subject to the material’s technical suitability.
Commercial colour categories
- White
- Transparent / Translucent
- Grey / White bicolour
- Yellow
- Blue
- Green
- Red
- Black
- Other colours
Commercial categories may include different shades. The final configuration depends on the material, its colour distribution and the project objective.
MATERIAL ASSESSMENT
Factors that may affect sorting
- Flake size
- Particle geometry
- Shade
- Transparency
- Bicolour pieces
- Dirt
- Dust
- Proportion of each colour
- Batch homogeneity
Frequently asked questions about colour sorting
Which colours can be separated?
We can assess fractions such as natural, white, grey/white multilayer, yellow, blue, green, red and black, as well as other visible shades. Target fractions are agreed according to the colour distribution and the material’s technical suitability.
Can black material be separated from other colours?
Yes, black can be assessed as a separate colour fraction. This does not mean that different black polymers can be separated from one another, a service we do not currently offer.
What particle size can you work with?
Our approximate reference range is 2 mm to 20 mm. The appropriate size range is assessed for each material and separation objective.
Is a trial needed?
For a new material, we normally request a representative sample of approximately 3–4 kg to assess its composition and investigate colour separation.
Does the material need to arrive clean?
Yes, material must arrive clean and dry, and washed if its source or condition requires it. Material that is already sufficiently clean may not need washing. Unwashed material that requires washing will not be fed into the line.
Do you have plastic flakes that need to be sorted?
Tell us what material you have and what you need to separate.