Municipal Waste Sorting Equipment worked example

Optical Sorter Throughput at 65% sorter availability: a worked example

This worked example runs the optical sorter throughput numbers for a tougher week than the baseline: 65% sorter availability instead of the typical 90%. Estimate the good tons per shift an NIR or color optical sorter actually delivers after belt speed, availability, and ejection accuracy are factored in.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Tons fed per sorter cycle: 0.18 tons / cycle (held at the documented default)
  • Operating cycles per shift: 480 cycles (held at the documented default)
  • Sorter availability: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)
  • Ejection accuracy on target stream: 92 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross optical sorter throughput = tons fed per sorter cycle x operating cycles per shift.
  • Recovered optical sorter throughput (tons/shift) works out to 51.67 tons / shift at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gross optical sorter throughput (tons/shift) works out to 86.4 tons / shift at these inputs.
  • Availability loss works out to 30.24 tons / shift at these inputs.
  • Ejection accuracy loss works out to 4.49 tons / shift at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where sorter availability sits at 90% and the headline result is 71.54 tons / shift, this scenario comes in 27.78% below the baseline at 51.67 tons / shift.
  • Use it when commissioning a new optical sorter, troubleshooting a tonnage shortfall, or sizing line capacity before signing a material supply agreement. A result at this level usually justifies acting on the stressed input before touching anything else, because every other figure in the table is downstream of it.

Results at a glance

  • Recovered optical sorter throughput (tons/shift): 51.67 tons / shift (headline result)
  • Gross optical sorter throughput (tons/shift): 86.4 tons / shift
  • Availability loss: 30.24 tons / shift
  • Ejection accuracy loss: 4.49 tons / shift

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Optical Sorter Throughput calculator, set sorter availability to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.