Patent ID: 8459466

Claim:
A system for sorting a plurality of recyclable items, comprising: an infeed conveying system configured to receive and transport the plurality of recyclable items; at least one screen configured to receive the plurality of recyclable items from the infeed conveying system and remove at least a portion of fiber items from the plurality of recyclable items; a fiber transfer conveyor configured to receive items from the at least one screen and facilitate removal of remaining fiber items; a container transfer conveyor configured to receive and move non-fiber items from the at least one screen; a ferrous sorting and conveying system configured to receive the non-fiber items from the container transfer conveyor and remove ferrous container items from the non-fiber items; a glass sorting and conveying system configured to receive non-ferrous items from the ferrous sorting and conveying system and remove glass container items from the non-ferrous items; at least one plastic sorting and conveying system configured to receive non-glass items from the glass sorting and conveying system and remove plastic items from the non-glass items; at least one surge hopper configured to temporarily store recyclable items from at least one of: i) the fiber transfer conveyor, ii) the container transfer conveyor, and iii) the glass sorting and conveying system; a detector for measuring an average depth of the plurality of recyclable items on the infeed conveying system; a scale for measuring the total weight of the plurality of recyclable items on the infeed conveying system; and a controller configured to (a) estimate a weight per unit volume for the plurality of recyclable items being transported on the infeed conveying system, (b) use the estimated weight per unit volume to estimate a percent weight of fiber items and a percent weight of non-fiber items, and (c) adjust, based on the estimated percent weights of fiber and non-fiber items, at least one of: i) a speed of the infeed conveying system, ii) a speed of the fiber transfer conveyor, iii) a speed of the container transfer conveyor, and iv) a speed of the glass sorting and conveying system, the controller being configured to prevent the speed of the at least one of the infeed conveying system, the fiber transfer conveyor, the container transfer conveyor, or the glass sorting and conveying system from being adjusted to a speed slower than a minimum threshold speed, the minimum threshold speed being required to substantially finish transporting and processing the plurality of recyclable items within a predetermined period of time.