Method, apparatus and system for sorting waste

An apparatus for sorting waste, wherein the waste intended for sorting is brought in waste bags, comprising:

• a conveyor, from which the waste bags belonging to different waste components are separated from each other by guiding them into containers according to the waste components or to further processing,
• a sensor system, the sensor system comprising a plurality of sensors monitoring different properties, which sensors are adapted to essentially simultaneously read and/or identify a waste bag,
• an identifier arranged in connection the waste bag and/or the content of the waste bag when the waste bag is in a reading area of the sensors,
• wherein at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is a material detector configured to identify content of the waste bag,
• wherein a control system, which is adapted to receive information coming from the sensors and is configured to control one or more handling devices of the sorting apparatus in such a way that the waste bags are sorted from the conveyor into different waste components,
• wherein:
• the waste bags are primarily sorted on the basis of the information received by at least one first sensor of the plurality of sensors, from an RFID identifier of a waste bag or of a closure, and secondarily on the basis of the information received by at least one second sensor of the plurality of sensors from a visual identifier of the waste bag;
• or
• after the material detector indicates that a waste bag contains material differing from the information provided by at least one third sensor of the plurality of sensors, the waste bag is guided in a predetermined manner into an applicable waste component or into further processing, and
• wherein the at least one first sensor, the at least one second sensor and the at least one third sensor of the plurality of sensors are arranged in a row perpendicular to a travel direction of the conveyor.

A system for sorting waste, wherein the waste intended for sorting is brought in waste bags, on at least some of which is an identifier, which determines the waste component of the material arranged in a waste bag, comprising:

• a conveyor, to which the waste bags are brought and from which the waste bags belonging to different waste components are separated from each other by guiding them into containers according to the components or into further processing,
• a sensor system, the sensor system comprising a plurality of sensors monitoring different properties, which sensors are adapted to essentially simultaneously read and/or identify a waste bag, an identifier arranged in connection with the waste bag and/or the content of the waste bag when the waste bag is in a reading area of the sensors,
• at least one sensor of the plurality of sensors is a material detector configured to identify content of the waste bag, and
• a control system, the control system configured to receive information coming from the sensors and control one or more handling devices of the sorting apparatus in such a way that the waste bags are sorted from the conveyor into different waste components,
• wherein:
• the waste bags are primarily sorted on the basis of the information received by at least one first sensor of the plurality of sensors, from an RFID identifier of a waste bag or of a closure, and secondarily on the basis of the information received by at least one second sensor of the plurality of sensors from a visual identifier of the waste bag;
• or
• after the material detector indicates that a waste bag contains material differing from the information provided by at least one third sensor of the plurality of sensors, the waste bag is guided in a predetermined manner into an applicable waste component or into further processing, and
• wherein the at least one second sensor and the at least one third sensor of the plurality of sensors are arranged in a row perpendicular to a travel direction of the conveyor.