Interview with Jakub Rost:
Jakub Rost | Area Sales Manager Baltics, Czechia, Poland and Slovakia | Sales
Katowice I M:+ 48 783 583 888
What is Tomra?
TOMRA was founded in 1972, based on the design, manufacturing and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today TOMRA provides solutions that enable the circular economy with advanced collection and sorting systems, and food processing by employing sensor-based sorting and grading technology.
Altogether TOMRA has approximately 105,000 installations in over 100 markets worldwide and had total revenues of about 14.8 billion NOK in 2023. TOMRA's geographic footprint covers all continents, and the solutions provided are increasingly relevant for serving sustainable societies.
How TOMRA Helps Customers Increase Profitability of Recycling plant?
As a pioneer and global leader in optical sorting which has over 600 machines in operation worldwide , TOMRA stands side by side with its customers to deliver innovative solutions that improve process efficiency, enhance quality, and create long-term value.
Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies—including advanced spectrometer sensors operating in the NIR wavelength, high-resolution color cameras, and powerful electromagnetic sensors—TOMRA’s flake sorters are designed to meet the highest demands for purity and recovery. No matter the polymer type, contamination challenge, or color requirement, TOMRA ensures optimal performance in every scenario.
One powerful example is the recovery of valuable polymers from the sink fraction. Traditionally considered waste, this fraction often carries significant untapped value.
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With TOMRA technology, customers can:
- Increase yield by recovering additional material that can be turned into valuable products.
- Reduce disposal costs by minimizing the amount of sink fraction sent to landfill or incineration.
- Improve profitability through fast ROI, as recovered polymers create new revenue streams.
For instance, in the case of sink PP fraction, TOMRA sorters can effectively remove contaminants such as PVC and PS, eliminate black unknown polymers, and get rid of metals, ferrous and non ferrous, even when embedded in the material. This ensures high-quality output that meets market requirements while simultaneously lowering operational costs.
Last but not least, TOMRA technology also unlocks the potential to recover high-quality white material from this stream creating an additional premium product that further boosts profitability.
TOMRA enables customers to transform waste into value, driving both sustainability and profitability.
We approach each client individually, if necessary, carrying out tests of the client's input material and selecting the appropriate sorting system at the test center in Parma - Italy, or in Germany near Frankfurt.
What is the Role of Data in Smarter Decision-Making ?
Beyond advanced sorting hardware, TOMRA empowers customers with actionable data insights. Every sorting process generates valuable information—such as material composition, purity levels, throughput, and yield—that can be monitored in real time.
By harnessing this data, customers can:
- Optimize operations – Adjust sorting parameters based on live feedback to maximize recovery and purity.
- Improve efficiency – Identify bottlenecks and reduce downtime through predictive monitoring.
- Make informed investments – Use historical data to evaluate performance, calculate ROI, and prioritize process improvements.
- Ensure compliance & traceability – Document quality levels and recycling rates to meet regulatory and customer requirements.
In essence, data transforms sorting from a purely mechanical process into a smart, dynamic system. With TOMRA Insight, for example, customers gain full visibility and control, enabling them to make faster, evidence-based decisions that directly improve both profitability and sustainability.
Moreover, by analyzing both input and output material directly on TOMRA units, customers can bring real-time analysis even closer to reality enhancing process stability and consistency while further unlocking value from their operations.
Is PET still the most valuable material?
When it comes to recycling, PET remains the most commonly recycled material on the market, driven by its established collection systems, strong demand for food-grade applications, and premium value in the value chain.
At the same time, however, European regulations are accelerating the development of circular solutions for other polymers, particularly PP and PE.
These materials are increasingly gaining visibility and market share as regulatory pressure, brand commitments, and new recycling technologies open pathways for their recovery and reuse.
Sorting Food Grade material from mix HDPE or PP fraction is now possible through Artificial Neural network, and combined with advance flake sorting stage, extreme valuable material is now available on the market and ready to challenge regulatory authorities to close one of the most advanced loop.
Side from Food grade material, rigid PP and PE from C&I waste can be a valuable material, for both injection molding or blow molding grade.
As a result, while PET continues to dominate today, PP and PE are emerging as the next growth areas in the recycling industry, creating new opportunities for value generation and requiring advanced sorting solutions to meet purity and quality requirements.
PARTNER RECYCLING CONFERENCE
