Page 59 from: Recycling International November/December issue 2024
BUSINESS
59recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2024
Stadler invited a group of internation-
al journalists to tour the new facility in
September. ‘Iren’s Circular Plastics
hub is helping Italy close the loop by
sending up to 80% of incoming mixed
waste to recycling plants,’ Recycling
International was told.
A total of EUR 48 million has been
invested in the new recycling facility,
which is situated in the Alps. It
employs 40 people, operating two
shifts a day, seven days a week. The
site enables Iren to cater to the
waste management needs of three
million citizens in the Turin area. This
makes it the biggest of out of 34
plastic scrap processing facilities
across Italy.
SORTING 17 MATERIALS
The tour demonstrated how the plant
sorts 17 types of materials, including
polymers, aluminium and ferrous
scrap. This is important because Iren
has the challenge of highly contami-
nated waste streams.
‘We specialise in recycling plastic pack-
aging,’ says plant manager
Massimiliano Gunari. ‘In reality, con-
sumers tend to send any type of plastic
our way. Spoons, electric toothbrushes,
kid’s toys, you name it. We receive it all.
Is everywhere made of plastic?’
Gunari points out that some munici-
palities in the region have contamina-
tion rates as high as 45%. ‘We’ve
even encountered a dead sheep in
our collection truck. The most memo-
rable moment was when the crew
spotted a python slithering through
the waste two years ago. I made a
quick call to animal rescue services. It
goes to show you never know what
you’re going to find.’
He is confident the innovative plastics
recycling plant will give Iren a mean-
ingful push towards its 2030 sustain-
ability goals.
Willi Stadler receives praise from the
international delegation with a hum-
ble nod. ‘I believe in keeping my
word. I don’t overpromise. Some tech
providers want to impress clients with
big expectations. I always ask myself
“What is realistic?” The last thing I
want to do is disappoint my partners.
Having said that, sometimes you have
to think big.’
ADVANCED SORTING TECH
A distinguishing feature of the plant
is a recycling line dedicated to fine
material below 18mm. It yields premi-
um quality recycled plastic following
rigorous screening and separation by
Stadler technology. The latter is a
combination of ballistic, magnetic and
optical sorting powered by artificial
intelligence (AI).
Medium-sized material, meanwhile, is
split into two lines, each with a
Stadler STT5000 ballistic separator.
They sort both 2D and 3D material.
The 2D stream goes through six opti-
cal separators to sort films into PP, PE
and bio-film.
Fotobijschrift
KADERKOP
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ABOUT STADLER
Stadler’s roots go back to 1971. The family-owned company produces a
wide range of recycling machinery, including ballistic separators, transport
conveyor belts, trommel screens, label removers and bale de-wiring units.
It is also able to provide steel structures and electrical switch cabinets for
the plants it installs. Stadler has built more than 500 recycling plants world-
wide and can manufacture more than 10 000 individual components. It cur-
rently employs a team of almost 500.
Willi and daughter Julia Stadler emphasise their strategy is underpinned by
the company’s mission to delivering quality, reliability and customer satis-
faction. This long-term vision is reflected in the company motto: ‘Keeping
our promises’.
Looking ahead, the Stadler family is eager for new opportunities for
growth. In October, it kicked off an expansion of its operations in the US
with a new warehouse and office complex in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina.
‘This will help meet the growing demand for recycling technology in North
America,’ says Willi Stadler. He claims ‘remarkable growth’ in North
America over the past four years, with revenue increasing by 50% year-on-
year.
The ceo has seen Stadler America, which was founded in 2016 with just
four employees, grow into a tech provider supporting four out of the top
10 most successful recycling companies in the US.
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