The new Resursutvinning Stockholm MSW sorting plant, designed and built by Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH for Sweden’s largest water and waste utility, is a highly automated, high-throughput facility that supports Stockholm’s environmental strategy, enabling the recovery of recyclable materials and organic waste while reducing CO2 emissions.

August, 15, 2024 – Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH, the globally active German company specialised in the planning, production and assembly of turnkey recycling and sorting plants, has successfully completed the new municipal solid waste sorting plant for Stockholm Vatten och Avfall (SVOA). Designed to process 50 tons of waste per hour, the new facility is equipped with fully automated sorting lines that recover organic waste from household garbage, as well as plastic and metals accidentally mixed in the residual material arriving at the plant. This reduces the volume of materials destined for incineration to generate power and heat water, consequently lowering CO2 emissions.

The new plant has a fully automated process and two parallel sorting lines. Commissioning was completed in August 2024 and the plant was officially inaugurated in October.

“The Resursutvinning Stockholm plant is a leap forward towards ambitious environmental goals while ensuring reliable, high-quality waste management,” says Lars Nyquist project manager at SVOA. “It is important that packaging is sorted at home, but plastic and metal packaging can accidentally end up in the residual waste. With Stadler’s expertise, we now have the technology and infrastructure to improve resource recovery, reduce emissions, and move closer to closing the loop on waste in Stockholm.”

Smart waste management

At the heart of the facility is a sorting process that separates green bags containing organic food waste, as well as any mixed plastics, ferrous and non-ferrous metals finding their way into the residual waste arriving to the plant – with a high degree of precision and automation, Stadler says.

Incoming municipal waste is delivered directly into five walking floors equipped with hydraulic covers, ensuring seamless reception. The material is transferred to dosing conveyors, producing a uniformly distributed stream of waste to feed the plant. After initial manual pre-sorting to remove bulky or hazardous items, the material stream is separated by particle size through Stadler’s screening drums.

A standout feature of the plant is the Coloured Bag Sorting System, which combines five Near-Infrared (NIR) and visual spectrometers (VIS) to accurately and quickly identify and extract green bags containing food waste without requiring them to be opened. These bags are weighed and routed for biological treatment, preserving the quality of the organic fraction.

The remaining material moves through a series of NIR sorting systems to recover plastics by polymer and colour, and through magnetic and eddy current separators to extract ferrous and non-ferrous metals. An innovative system of movable conveyors beneath the screening drums allows the plant to quickly adapt to changes in waste composition without interrupting operations.

Designed for operational efficiency

According to Stadler, the Resursutvinning Stockholm plant was designed with a focus on operational efficiency, the work environment, and safety. The equipment has been positioned on multiple levels to fit within the facility’s compact footprint, with a layout engineered for both accessibility and safety. All drives and maintenance points are accessible via walkways and dedicated platforms, ensuring that servicing can be conducted quickly and safely.

The facility features some innovations : a residual fraction buffer weighing system featuring two weighing bunkers provides accurate weight data while enabling continuous material flow. Movable conveyors under the drum screen allow for flexible adjustments to the downstream material fraction size, accommodating changes in input composition or seasonal variations without stopping the line. In addition, a central vacuum system and cleaning points distributed throughout the plant facilitate cleaning, contributing to a safer and more efficient work environment.

Plant automation is central to its operation. The facility is run entirely through a centralised control system, requiring manual input only for daily maintenance and cleaning.

“What stands out in this plant is its adaptability,” adds Nejc Božič, Project Manager at Stadler. “Everything from the parallel line design to the movable conveyors under the screens gives SVOA the flexibility to handle seasonal variations, keep the line running and optimise performance with minimal manual intervention.”

Supporting Stockholm’s circular economy

With a daily impact on the lives of 1.5 million residents and businesses in the Stockholm area, Stockholm Vatten och Avfall is Sweden’s leading water and waste management company. Its mission is to ensure access to clean drinking water, treat wastewater, and provide environmentally friendly waste management for everyone.

The Resursutvinning Stockholm plant is supporting SVOA’s goal of increasing material recovery and reducing environmental impact in the Stockholm region. It enables the separation and recovery of valuable materials that would otherwise be incinerated for energy. By isolating organic waste for bioprocessing and capturing any plastics and metals accidentally included in the residual waste for recycling, the facility helps reduce the city’s carbon footprint while turning waste into resources.

The design of the plant, featuring two parallel sorting lines, allows for continued operation during maintenance or partial outages, thus ensuring uninterrupted service and long-term reliability, Stadler claims. Its advanced sorting technology enables it to adapt to changes in waste streams and future requirements.

Founded in 1791, Stadler is dedicated to the planning, production and assembly of sorting systems and components for the waste disposal and recycling industry world-wide. Its team of around 600 employees offers a tailor-made full service, from conceptual design to planning, production, modernisation, optimisation, assembly, start-up, conversions, disassembly, maintenance and servicing of components to complete recycling and sorting systems. Its product range includes ballistic separators, transport conveyor belts, trommel screens, label removers and bale dewiring units.