Due to the widespread use of polymer materials, increasing amounts of polymer waste are being generated and must be properly disposed. Polymer materials are mostly recyclable, which protects the environment and human health. It has also a great influence on saving energy and natural resources what at the end leads to economic profit. In order to successfully recycle polymers, it is necessary to prepare waste material first. This paper describes the procedures of collecting, sorting, grinding and washing polymer waste before the recycling process. Collecting and sorting begins at the place where the waste is generated, whether in the household or in industry. The different types of polymer waste are collected together and the different polymer materials are not compatible with each other. For that reason it is necessary to separate them so that they can be then recycled. Polymer waste can be sorted manually or automatically using different machines. Manual sorting requires a human workforce, therefore it is less economically profitable. Machine sorting uses the physical, chemical, optical, spectroscopic and electrical properties of polymers to separate polymer waste. The sorted polymer waste needs to be grained using various grinding machines and then washed to remove the residual impurities in the process of washing. The polymer waste can be recycled after that process. Without good preparation of the polymer waste material, it is not possible to obtain a quality recycled material and product. For this reason, large attention is given to the good preparation of polymer waste material.