SORT — Spectral Optical Recycling Type Scanner — is a handheld tool that reads the near-infrared fingerprint of a plastic part and identifies what it is in a few seconds. Built to take the guesswork out of sorting scrap before it enters the recycling stream, SORT targets the plastics that matter most to EcoSpool, including PLA, PETG, ABS, and ASA.
Each common thermoplastic reflects near-infrared light in a distinct pattern. SORT matches that pattern against its reference library and returns a material class with a confidence score.
We're actively prototyping the optics, reference library, and enclosure. It isn't available to buy or redeem with points right now. If you'd like to follow progress, pilot an early unit, or tell us what you'd need it to do, reach out — we'd love the input.
Get in touch →Pricing and point redemption will be announced once the scanner leaves prototype.
Mixed or mislabeled plastic is the fastest way to ruin a recycled batch. A single PVC part in a PETG run can spoil the whole spool. SORT lets you confirm a material before it goes in the grinder — no chemical markers, no guesswork, just a quick optical read.
Near-infrared sorting has real limits, and we'd rather be upfront about them. Very dark or carbon-black plastics absorb most of the signal, and fiber-filled composites read inconsistently — which is part of why EcoSpool doesn't accept CF or GF material in the first place.