SortX, the world’s first mobile sorting container to tackle river plastic pollution

6 September 2024

In a collaboration, everwave and STADLER Anlagenbau GmbH have pioneered the development and construction of SortX, a mobile sorting container designed specifically to combat plastic pollution in rivers.

STADLER Anlagenbau GmbH, the globally active German company specialized in the planning, production and assembly of turnkey recycling and sorting plants, has joined forces with everwave, the environmental Company dedicated to cleaning up oceans and rivers, using garbage boats to collect waste in rivers and prevent it from entering the oceans. Together, they have launched a pioneering project for the development of the world’s first mobile sorting container, SortX, to combat plastic pollution in rivers.

SortX: a pioneering solution to sort plastic waste from rivers on-site

The SortX mobile sorting container enables the efficient separation of various materials, allowing waste to be sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable categories. This capability ensures that plastics collected from rivers can be processed to close the waste loop. Designed for mobility, SortX is compact, quick to set up, and ready for operation. At 6 tons, it is suitable for sea transport without restrictions, providing flexibility in deployment across various locations, including remote areas where waste can be sorted directly at the collection site.

The immediate processing and recycling of waste on-site enhances the efficiency of cleanup operations and reduces the environmental impact associated with transport. Additionally, SortX eliminates the need for extra infrastructure or costs for interim waste storage. With the mobile sorting container, it is also possible to test the feasibility of new, permanent sorting stations at desired locations.

Equipped with four manual sorting containers and a robust wooden floor, the container is designed for versatile use in a variety of environments. The frequency-controlled sorting belt allows for adjustable speed settings, optimizing the sorting process for different materials and personnel.

The SortX prototype has been in operation in Kukës, Albania, since mid-June. everwave’s garbage collection boat gathers the waste, which is manually sorted on the riverbanks before being fed into the sorting container. Initial results are promising: around 30,000 kg of waste has been collected, with the SortX sorting container processing approximately 30m³ per hour. Due to the high proportion of PET bottles in the collected waste, about 80% is recyclable. Moving forward, everwave and STADLER will further optimize the container for future deployments.

A shared commitment to the environment

The two partners in this strategic alliance share a focus on environmental sustainability. Julia Stadler, Chief Digital Officer at STADLER explains the company’s mission: "At STADLER, we are dedicated to fostering a sustainable and clean environment, actively contributing to the circular economy. Our cutting-edge sorting plants tackle the growing mountains of waste globally by transforming waste into valuable raw materials. Our plants are designed to maximize the recovery of recyclables from diverse material streams, ensuring the highest purity in output fractions and significantly advancing resource conservation.”

everwave is committed to making a significant contribution to cleaning oceans and rivers. Founded by dedicated environmentalists, everwave focuses on developing and implementing effective technologies to remove plastic waste and other pollutants from the world’s waters. Its mission is clear and urgent: preserving water ecosystems by removing waste and raising environmental awareness. The company aims to develop innovative and sustainable solutions that not only clean water bodies but also raise public awareness of the need to protect natural resources.

“everwave works every day to solve one of the greatest challenges of our time: the pollution of waterways by waste. We collaborate with local partners and employ our technologies to collect, sort, and process waste, ultimately closing the waste loop,” says Tilman Flöhr, CTO and Co-founder of everwave.

everwave’s garbage collection boats prevent waste from entering the oceans, and artificial intelligence aids cleanup missions by detecting and analyzing waste. Collected materials are processed using eco-friendly methods, with efforts to raise public awareness of environmental issues. The company organizes long-term, comprehensive cleanup projects in countries including Serbia, Thailand, and Cambodia and to date it has collected over 1.6 million kilograms of waste from rivers.

A partnership for clean waters around the world

“A major challenge is sorting the collected material at the collection site, which is very difficult,” explains Tilman Flöhr. “Thanks to the SortX mobile sorting container, we can significantly simplify logistics and establish the recycling chain directly at the collection site. In the future, for example, this will enable us to set up CleanUp Camps in remote areas. We firmly believe that cooperation is the key to a sustainable future, and we are very grateful to have STADLER Anlagenbau as our partner.”

Julia Stadler comments: “We are immensely proud of our cooperation with everwave. Together, we have developed an innovative sorting container that demonstrates that recycling is not only feasible and sensible but also economically viable. The mobility of this sorting container allows for flexible deployment in various locations.”

This partnership connects STADLER, a family-owned company with a 233-year history, with the innovative company everwave, which has been in existence for just five years. “So far, we have received very positive feedback from the market for the sorting container. We expect that this solution will be of particular interest in countries where the circular economy is still emerging,” concludes Julia Stadler.