The waste management and recycling sector plays a critical role in environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and the continuity of the circular economy. Throughout the processes of collection, sorting, recycling, and energy recovery,
industrial weighing systems play an active and essential role. Accurate weighing is required not only for commercial calculations but also for
legal reporting, environmental management, capacity planning, and carbon footprint measurements.
Recycling facilities process many different types of materials including packaging waste, metal scrap, plastic and glass waste, electronic waste, RDF (refuse-derived fuel), medical waste, and organic waste. Weighing systems used in these operations must be resistant and highly accurate against variable density, irregular shapes, moisture content, and material loss.
Weighing Needs in the Recycling Industry
Weighing systems are used in the following application areas:
- Truck scale weighing for waste acceptance
- Flow measurement on sorting conveyor lines
- Bunker and hopper weighing
- Sack, drum, and container filling weighing
- RDF and compost production control
- Medical and hazardous waste weighing
- Inventory and reporting systems
For waste to be converted into economic value, processes must be controlled by precise weighing systems.
Truck Scale Applications
Truck scales are used to weigh waste collection vehicles, hauling trucks, and refuse trailers. At waste acceptance centers, weighing is carried out at entry and exit to calculate the net waste quantity.
Advantages of truck scales in the sector:
- Commercial accuracy
- Legal control and documentation
- Data recording by waste origin
- Billing accuracy
Truck scales must be equipped with high-strength load cells suitable for outdoor conditions.
Conveyor Belt Weighing Systems
Solid waste transported on sorting conveyors is the most important source of data in the recycling industry.
Conveyor belt weighing systems calculate
flow rate (kg/hour or tons/hour) and total processed material.
Advantages of conveyor weighing:
- Continuous weighing
- Waste loss monitoring
- Production capacity tracking
- Automated reporting
These systems are widely used in sorting facilities, RDF plants, and compost production areas.
Bunker and Hopper Weighing Systems
In recycling facilities, bunkers control material flow and act as buffer storage units before processing or shipment.
Bunker weighing systems manage the gradual discharge of materials.
Benefits of bunker weighing:
- Control of feed rate
- Inventory accuracy
- Improved waste classification efficiency
- Conveyor load optimization
Load cells used in these systems must be resistant to impact and irregular load distribution.
RDF and Compost Production Weighing Systems
Two important processes where waste is transformed into economic value in the recycling sector are
RDF fuel production and compost production.
RDF weighing systems: used for material sorting, grinding, and dosing.
Compost weighing systems: control feeding based on the moisture content of organic waste.
These applications provide:
- Standardized fuel quality
- Reduced loss and waste
- Optimized energy conversion
- Higher organic fertilizer yield
Weighing Systems for Medical and Hazardous Waste
Medical and hazardous waste must be collected separately at the source and transported safely, as required by law. For these materials,
weighing systems operating in enclosed environments are preferred.
Solutions used in medical waste weighing:
- Platform scales
- Dynamic weighing with barcode integration
- Hospital waste container weighing
- Record and reporting systems
Data security and traceability are highly critical for these weighing operations.
Digital Reporting and Integration
According to waste management regulations, the origin, type, quantity, and transportation data of waste must be recorded digitally. Integrating weighing systems with ERP, municipal waste tracking software, and government databases enables automated legal reporting.
Advantages of digital integration:
- Source-based waste classification
- Loss/waste calculation
- Legal compliance
- Real-time reporting
- Billing accuracy
Weighing systems in waste management and recycling facilities are used for many critical processes such as truck weighing, conveyor flow measurement, bunker control, RDF and compost weighing, and hazardous waste classification. With accurate weighing solutions, environmental standards are achieved, recycling efficiency increases, and economic value production is optimized.
Durable, precise, and digitally integrated weighing systems are indispensable core technologies of modern recycling and waste management facilities.
