Wedoany.com Report on Feb 24th, Stadler Anlagenbau GmbH, in collaboration with Nehlsen AG and PreZero Recycling Deutschland GmbH, has completed a comprehensive upgrade and renovation of the lightweight packaging sorting plant in Bremen, Germany. This facility processes approximately 120,000 tons of mixed packaging materials annually, including plastic films, cardboard, and aluminum.
Following a fire in 2022 at the Sortierkontor Nord (SKN) lightweight packaging sorting plant in Bremen, Stadler was commissioned for the reconstruction, with a focus on enhancing fire safety, automated sorting, and operational reliability. The renovated plant resumed operations in early 2025, featuring a redesigned sorting process and an enhanced fire protection system.
Tom Schmidt, Sales Manager at Stadler, stated: "The fire risk in lightweight packaging plants primarily stems from hazardous components like hidden lithium-ion batteries within the material stream. In the upgrade of the Bremen lightweight packaging sorting plant, we prioritized ensuring stable sorting performance while significantly improving fire safety. This involved building adjustments, new layouts, and technology integration."
The new design relocates the first classification stage to a separate room to reduce fire risk. Plant process optimization has reduced material bottlenecks, and drum screens have been rearranged to enhance operational efficiency. Plastic film sorting is now fully automated, with the potential for future expansion to include a third sorting stage. Output includes 12 types of high-purity materials, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, and aluminum.
The upgrade also reserves space for integrating automated battery extraction technology, similar to systems at the Sollenau facility in Austria, which can detect and remove batteries. Benjamin Krie, Managing Director of SKN, noted: "The collaboration with Stadler went beyond simple reconstruction. Improved sorting technology, monitored fire zones, and the potential for battery extraction make the Bremen lightweight packaging sorting plant safer, more robust, and better equipped to handle future waste stream challenges."
Andreas Thiel, Branch Manager of PreZero Recycling, added: "The new plant structure, combined with advanced sorting systems, operates with higher reliability and lower risk, meeting fire safety and insurability requirements." Wolfgang Koza, Sales Director at Stadler, concluded: "Through structural separation, monitored zones, and fire suppression systems, the Bremen lightweight packaging sorting plant now operates with reduced risk, demonstrating the partners' collective ability to address future challenges."
