Sorting the residual: Post-sorting as a device for ordering uncertain matter and material
Author
Sæther, Lars Kristian Tømmerås
Term
4. term
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-06-01
Pages
70
Abstract
This thesis examines ARC’s planned residual post-sorting facility in Copenhagen as an information system and as a technology for (re)classification and data production within the city’s waste infrastructure. Against the backdrop of high waste generation and Amager Bakke’s dependence on the residual stream, it analyzes how NIR-sensor-based post-sorting classifies materials, what data are produced, and how responsibility for sorting outcomes is distributed. Methodologically, it employs an instrumental case study of the facility with Romerike avfallsforedling (ROAF) as a reference, using interviews and relevant documents, and is framed by information infrastructure and classification theory (Bowker & Star). The analysis indicates that while post-sorting is publicly framed as boosting recycling (e.g., an expected 6.5% or 8,500 tonnes recovered from 2027), its infrastructural role is broader: the residual category is stabilized by throughput requirements for incineration, classification work is layered across households, operators, and machines, and NIR technology has both notable capabilities and material limits. The resulting data support governance and quality assessment (with potential for real-time monitoring), while responsibility is partly delegated to nonhuman actors. Overall, the thesis argues that post-sorting primarily governs the consequences of waste production and is designed to manage quantities rather than restore material quality or prevent waste.
Afhandlingen undersøger ARC’s planlagte postsorteringsanlæg for restaffald i København som et informationssystem og som en teknologi til (re)klassifikation og dataproduktion i byens affaldsinfrastruktur. I lyset af høje affaldsmængder og Amager Bakkes afhængighed af restfraktionen analyseres, hvordan postsortering med NIR-sensorer klassificerer materialer, hvilken data der skabes, og hvordan ansvar for sortering og resultater fordeles. Metodisk anvendes et instrumentelt casestudie af anlægget med Romerike avfallsforedling (ROAF) som reference, baseret på interviews og relevante dokumenter, og teoretisk forankret i informationsinfrastruktur- og klassifikationsteori (Bowker & Star). Analysen peger på, at postsortering offentligt præsenteres som et middel til at øge genanvendelsen (fx forventet udsortering på ca. 6,5 % eller 8.500 ton fra 2027), men at dens infrastrukturelle rolle er bredere: Restkategorien stabiliseres af krav om gennemstrømning til forbrænding, klassifikationsarbejdet er lagdelt mellem husholdninger, operatører og maskiner, og NIR-teknologien har både klare muligheder og materielle begrænsninger. Dataproduktionen understøtter styring og kvalitetsvurdering (med perspektiver for løbende monitorering), mens ansvar delvist delegeres til ikke-menneskelige aktører. Samlet argumenteres for, at postsortering primært forvalter konsekvenserne af affaldsproduktionen og er designet til at håndtere mængder frem for at genskabe materialekvalitet eller forebygge affald.
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