In order to facilitate lamp waste treatment, maximize the recovery rates and improve working environment, an automated, sealed sorting unit will be required. The concept of the ILLUMINATE proposal is to develop automated systems that are able to effectively sort bulbs into different classes and remove foreign objects. This is essential for an economically viable process. The unit will be based on a sensor system combined with self-learning processing unit and will be able to recognize shapes, colours materials, and/or weight. To remedy the current situation where there is little or no separation of mercury containing from non mercury containing materials from bulbs at end of life, the ILLUMINATE project will develop methods and processes for two main areas of the supply chain: collection of the waste streams and sorting of the waste. Once the identification and separation has been achieved the materials from both mercury containing and non mercury containing waste streams can then be handled by the appropriate processing steps in order to cost effectively recycle the waste bulbs. This proposal aims at enhancing the current recycling chain by providing a complete process from collection to pre-processing of waste lamps. In addition to sorting the lamps into proper fractions, the sorting unit will be able to register the number and types of lamps (or other objects) passing through the unit, thereby enabling well-defined statistics on treated lamps and process disturbances due to non-lamp objects received. The statistics provide a basis for more accurate waste treatment costs, other compensation models for producer responsibility, market/sales data and a basis for production planning.