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AI Brings PET Trays Back into the Food Packaging Loop

Cologne-based Steinert uses AI-powered sorting technology to enable PET trays to be recycled into new food packaging

Exclusively for K-Mag

Mixed packaging waste on a conveyor belt in front of a yellow Steinert sorting machine.

Not every PET package is suitable for recycling into a new food tray. Sorting systems therefore need to recognize clues about its previous use. © Steinert GmbH

28.09.2026

In Duiven, the Netherlands, Cirrec, a recycling company within the Faerch Group, operates a facility that processes used PET trays from household waste into material for new food packaging. The facility can process up to 60,000 metric tons, or more than three billion trays, per year. AI-powered sorting from Steinert, a sorting and sensor technology company, plays a key role in this process.

Same Plastic, Different Uses

Plastic packaging compressed into a bale and held together with metal wires.

© Steinert GmbH

PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate and is widely used in food packaging. However, identifying the type of plastic alone is not enough for food-grade recycling—the process of turning used plastic into material approved for use in new food packaging.

The reason: A food tray and a blister pack for screws, for example, can both be made of PET. Conventional near-infrared (NIR) sorting systems cannot distinguish between them based on their chemical composition. For recycling into food packaging, however, it is crucial to know whether the packaging was previously in contact with food.

Recycling PET trays therefore requires identifying both the type of plastic and the packaging’s previous use.

AI Enhances Sorting Technology and Material Identification

Sorting machines, conveyor belts, and yellow railings inside an industrial facility, with a person wearing an orange high-visibility jacket.

© Steinert GmbH

Cirrec uses three Steinert sorting systems for this purpose. They combine near-infrared material identification with images from a color camera and AI-based analysis. The technology helps identify which PET packages were previously in contact with food and can be returned to the food packaging loop.

NIR technology detects the material’s chemical composition, allowing it to distinguish PET from other plastics. The camera provides additional information about the packaging’s appearance. The AI analyzes features such as shape, printing, and surface texture.

This allows the system to distinguish, for example, a PET tray for a ready-made meal from PET packaging for a non-food product. According to Steinert, the sorting process achieves a purity level of more than 95 percent.

From Used Tray to New Packaging

Plastic trays in various shapes and colors on white display stands.

© Steinert GmbH

After sorting, the suitable PET undergoes further processing. This includes grinding and washing the material and processing it into flakes, or small pieces of plastic, and pellets, or small plastic granules. These serve as raw materials for new Faerch Group packaging.

The new packaging contains an average of around 70 percent recycled material. According to Steinert, the recycled PET also generates 57 percent fewer CO₂ emissions than newly produced PET.

Used PET trays are thus turned back into material for new food packaging. AI-powered sorting is an important part of this recycling process: It helps separate suitable food packaging from other PET products, closing the loop.

Author: Felix Halm

At a Glance

  • Facility: Cirrec recycles PET trays in Duiven.
  • Capacity: Up to 60,000 metric tons can be processed annually.
  • Sorting: NIR technology, cameras, and AI achieve more than 95 percent purity.
  • Recycled content: New packaging contains an average of around 70 percent recycled material.
  • Carbon footprint: According to Steinert, recycled PET generates 57 percent fewer emissions than virgin PET.

Key Takeaway:

Food-grade PET recycling requires sorting systems to identify more than just the type of plastic. Combining sensors, cameras, and AI makes it possible to separate suitable food packaging for recycling into new trays.

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