Tomra, Sulayr set new benchmark for tray-to-tray PET recycling

SPAIN – Spain-based Sulayr Recycling has deployed Tomra Recycling’s cutting-edge sorting solutions to enhance its transparent-to-transparent, tray-to-tray PET recycling operations, reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainable, circular packaging.

Sulayr specializes in recycling complex and multilayer thermoformed PET trays, transforming post-consumer material into new food-grade trays with full traceability.

The feedstock, collected primarily through EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) systems, can vary by origin, season, and composition, sometimes containing other PET types, multilayer structures, and polymer contaminants.

To meet these challenges, Sulayr and Tomra co-designed a tailored sorting process.

“Advanced technology is essential, but what really makes projects like this work is the partnership approach,” said Jesús Espinar, area sales manager at Tomra Recycling.

“Tray-to-tray recycling can be scaled reliably when strong partners bring combined expertise to the table.”

The integrated system combines Tomra’s dual-track Autosort and Innosort Flake solutions with Sulayr’s industrial configuration, including material reception, optical tray sorting, washing, grinding, flake purification, and extrusion into tray-grade rPET.

The dual-track Autosort separates PET clear/light blue from mixed streams in one track while ejecting non-target contaminants in the second track, boosting recovery and purity without compromising throughput.

After shredding, the Innosort Flake performs the final purification, detecting polymer type, color, and transparency in a single step.

Its multistage setup allows reintroduction of valuable PET from rejected fractions, maintaining stable purity levels above 99.8% under real operating conditions.

“As quality requirements evolved, stability became just as critical as purity. Tray-to-tray applications demand consistent results every day, not just under ideal conditions,” said Sergio Collado, chief technology officer at Sulayr.

While the primary focus remains on transparent trays, certain colored fractions can also be valorized based on market demand.

Antonio Jesús Marcos, head of marketing at Sulayr, emphasized the importance of collaboration, “It was not just about installing equipment. We aligned on process details, performance targets, and long-term stability. The focus was always on real-world results.”

Tomra’s sorting solutions have been adopted globally for PET bottle-to-bottle and film-to-film recycling, including partnerships in Germany, Scandinavia, and the US.

The trend toward tray-to-tray recycling is growing in Europe as regulators tighten food-grade rPET standards and brand owners push for higher recycled content in packaging.

By combining advanced sorting technology with close industry collaboration, Sulayr and Tomra have established a model for reliable, high-quality tray-to-tray PET recycling, supporting Europe’s circular packaging goals.

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