July 23, 2025 15:50

Just over a year after its launch, the TriPlast sorting facility in Ennshafen, Austria, is poised for a major €35 million expansion aimed at processing up to 41,000 tons of plastic sorting residues per year, including fractions that are currently too small or contaminated for conventional recycling.

The plant’s owners — Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA), Bernegger and GreenDot — will scale up the Upcycle process already in operation at a pilot plant in Pöchlarn, Lower Austria, developed and patented by ARA for the enrichment of polyolefins.

This means that the plastic sorting residues from the TriPlast output, as well as additional quantities from other sorting plants that could previously only be used as substitute fuel — for example, because they are too contaminated or too small — can be further processed. This increases the yield and recycling rate.

The system also offers a solution for processing composite beverage cartons (PolyAl). With the help of upstream fine sorting, individual plastic fractions can be cleaned in an even more targeted manner to subsequently supply recyclates for high-quality applications. The enriched polyolefin fraction is intended to be suitable for use in the food sector through chemical recycling or, in the future, through mechanical recycling.

Launched in July 2024, the TriPlast facility is designed to process up to 20 tons of plastic packaging per hour from separate collection, sorting it into 24 different fractions, with an annual capacity of approximately 100,000 tons.
After a year of smooth operation, the plant has exceeded expectations, boosting its yield from 80% to 85% over the course of the year.

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