An automatic sorting system is for identifying and sorting non-homogenous material. The system includes a conveyor belt and an identification unit cooperable with the conveyor belt and placed above the conveying surface thereof for identifying material traveling therealong. The identification unit includes at least one projector for projecting a beam of light downwardly towards the conveying surface, at a given height above the conveying surface, and onto a given material to be identified, so that a portion of projected light may be reflected back from the given material and upwardly towards the identification unit. The identification unit also includes at least one lens positioned about the identification unit for receiving the portion of reflected light from the given material to be identified. The identification unit also includes a first processing unit operatively linked to the at least one lens for carrying a spectral analysis of the portion of reflected light captured by the at least one lens so as to determine the nature of the given material, and a second processing unit operatively linked to the first processing unit for comparing results of the spectral analysis with corresponding data associated to a variety of different materials stored in a given database of the second processing unit. The present system also includes a sorting unit operatively linked to the second processing unit and operatively cooperating with the second end of the conveyor so as to sort material released from the second end of the conveyor depending on signals received from the second processing unit.