The Sterecycle process is 2 stage – sterilisation at temperature and pressure followed by mechanical separation.

The heart of the sterecycle® system is a series of interconnected sterecycle® autoclaves. These are pressure vessels similar to those used in hospitals to sterilise surgical instruments but are much larger and have unique patented characteristics. Unsorted household bagged waste is loaded directly into the vessels and heat is applied at around 130 degrees C. A combination of the steam and pressure raised internally and the rotation of the vessels results in:
(i) the organic fraction of the waste being broken down into a fibrous lignocellulosic biomass ;
(ii) the non-organics being sterilised and steam cleaned;
(iii) the organics can now be easily separated from the non-organics; and
(iv) reduction in volume of the input waste material by 60/70 %

It is important to note that other solutions such as "Mechanical BioTreatment" and "Advanced Thermal Treatment" usually pre-treat waste by simply shredding which leaves a high percentage of contaminants (such as plastics and heavy metals) in the material. As a result the material produced is low quality and can only be burnt. In contrast, the sterecycle® process is far more gentle and produces a high quality clean Biomass fibre and recycles the non-organics such as plastics.