Bühler Sortex and US-based National Recovery Technologies (NRT) are entering a partnership agreement to offer plastics recyclers a complete solution for plastic bottle and flake sorting.

As the demand for plastic sorting solutions continues to soar, Buhler Sortex, a member of The Bühler Group, and US-based National Recovery Technologies (NRT) are entering a strategic commercial agreement to offer plastics recyclers a complete solution for plastic bottle and flake sorting. The companies are bringing together more than 100 years of combined expertise in optical sorting giving recyclers access to their proven technologies, engineering expertise and their extensive customer service and support networks.
Global plastics production increased by 10 million tons, to around 280 million tons in 2011, continuing the growth pattern that the industry has enjoyed since 1950 - approximately 9% per annum. Europe and the NAFTA region together comprise 41% of the world's total plastic materials production - driving demand for integrated bottle and flake sorting solutions, as companies strive to meet government recycling targets and corporate social responsibility pledges.
The partnership between Buhler Sortex and NRT marks a further milestone in their continuing expansion in the PET and HDPE sorting segment, across Europe and North America. It also strengthens their position as the leading joint suppliers of combined plastic bottle and flake sorting solutions to the plastics recycling industry, with leading market technologies such as In-Flight Sorting®, PET Boost™, Label Reduction Kit and Smart-Eject™. They are now the first-choice technology partner for many plastics recyclers, with several contracts already in place with major recycling operators.
Charith Gunawardena, Head of Optical Sorting at Buhler Sortex says: “This landmark agreement signifies our confidence in the future growth of recycling. It also strengthens our industry references and reinforces our leading role in optical sorting, while demonstrating our commitment to providing customers with a complete bottle and flake sorting solution from two trusted leaders in their field.”