Originally designed and commissioned by Stadler in 2021, the lightweight packaging sorting facility processes approximately 120,000 tonnes per year from dual collection systems in Bremen and neighbouring federal states. With the reconstruction now finalised, the plant has returned to its previous throughput capacity. The redesign places particular emphasis on fire protection, process stability and the integration of automation technologies, including preparation for automated battery extraction.
Around one third of the machinery area was destroyed in the fires. During the subsequent insurance settlement process, additional damage occurred to existing equipment despite preservation measures. The reconstruction required the integration of new sorting technology into the existing building structure while meeting updated safety requirements.
A key modification in the plant layout is the relocation of the initial classification stages, including air separation, magnetic separation and 2D sorting, to a hall structurally separated from the main machinery area. This separation reduces the risk of fire propagation during early process stages. Fire protection infrastructure has been expanded with the installation of a second 100 cubic metre extinguishing water tank, sprinkler systems and integrated fire suppression lines on equipment such as trommel screens.
Process flow within the rebuilt sections has been reconfigured to reduce material bottlenecks. Three trommel screens, previously arranged in a single area and linked by long conveyor systems, are now positioned opposite one another to improve accessibility and streamline operation. Film fractions are now sorted fully automatically, with provision for a third sorting stage if required. The facility produces transparent LDPE and mixed film fractions with reduced manual intervention.
The plant continues to generate twelve mono-material fractions, including polypropylene, PET, polyethylene, polystyrene, mixed polyolefins, paper-cardboard-carton, aluminium and composite materials. The updated design also allows for the future integration of automated battery detection and removal systems, comparable to installations already implemented at other PreZero facilities.
