Sorteering

Sorteering is the process of organizing items into categories or sequences according to predefined criteria. The term, rooted in Dutch, is used across fields to describe activities that classify, separate, or arrange objects, data, or goods. Sorting helps impose order, improve efficiency, enable routing, and support decision making by making attributes such as type, size, destination, or quality explicit.

In logistics and distribution, sorting directs items toward their destinations. Sorting centers use conveyors, scanners, barcodes or RFID tags, and automated sorters to group shipments by route, service level, or warehouse zone. Accurate sorting reduces handling, speeds up delivery, and lowers the risk of misrouting or delays.

In data processing and computer science, sorting means arranging elements of a list or dataset in a defined order based on a key. Common algorithms include quicksort, mergesort, and heapsort, with simpler methods such as insertion sort used for small datasets. Sorting can be stable or unstable, and performance is analyzed in terms of time complexity, usually O(n log n) for efficient general-purpose sorts.

In recycling and waste management, sorting separates materials for reuse, such as plastics, metals, glass, and organics. Modern facilities employ automated technologies—optical sensors, magnetic and near-infrared sorting, and air jets—complemented by manual sorting to improve material purity and recovery rates. Sorting also appears in manufacturing and quality control to separate products by size, color, or defect status.