Bakcycle Sorts Flexible Packaging Using Tomra Technologies
The Türkiye-based firm Bakcycle Recycling is convinced that it is setting a new standard in the Turkish recycling industry.
As reported by Tomra, the company’s facility in Izmir, equipped with Tomra’s sensor-based sorting machines, achieves high accuracy and purity in sorting mixed flexible packaging waste, addressing a critical need in the recycling industry. Flexible packaging, often composed of layers of materials like polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), presents significant recycling challenges. Each material type requires separate processing due to its complexity, and many recycling facilities lack the infrastructure to handle post-consumer low-density polyethylene (LDPE) materials. The lightweight nature of flexible packaging further complicates recycling, often resulting in these materials being down-cycled into lower-value products.
Purity levels of over 98 percent
In the processing line of the facility, three Autosort Speedair systems are located at the front of the line, followed by two Autosort units. While the first is developed for film applications, contributing to the high-capacity recycling of lightweight flexible packaging, the latter is Tomra’s multi-functional sorting all-rounder. In the sorting process based on color and polymer, the first and second Autosort Speedair systems separate transparent LDPE from other materials. The third machine separates the collected transparent LDPE from transparent LLDPE. Thanks to the consistent airflow, the lightweight LDPE waste materials move stably on the fast-moving conveyor belt. The two Autosort units are tasked with sorting mixed-color and white LDPE in the following step.
Photo: Tomra
As a result, Bakcycle Recycling achieves purity levels of over 98 percent in the sorting processes, the information said. “With Tomra Insight, Bakcycle Recycling has transformed its optical sorting machines into connected devices.” The company would use this cloud-based data platform to streamline its sorting processes and improve transparency and data management. It would help accurately assess the quality of the processed materials and “allows for detailed, real-time analysis of any material loss during production”.
About Bakcycle
Bakcycle Recycling, founded by Bakioğlu Holding, began active operations at the end of 2023. The company specializes in producing granules that substitute for original raw materials, utilizing post-consumer low-density polyethylene (LDPE) packaging waste primarily collected from municipal and packaging waste sorting facilities.
The facility in Izmir covers an area of 20,000 square meters and aims to convert approximately 8,000 tons of LDPE waste from the domestic market into the highest quality rLDPE (recycled low-density polyethylene) granules annually. There are plans to double this production capacity within the next two years. The produced high-quality granules are offered to flexible packaging manufacturers to help them meet recycled content targets for non-food applications.
(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 1/2025, Page 12, Photos: Tomra)
