The invention provides a method for identifying plastics and/or the additives therein, wherein at least some of the plastic material is irradiated with light of at least one wavelength, at least some of the light reflected by the plastic material is detected and analyzed, and the plastic material and/or the additive therein is/are identified on the basis of the result of the analysis. The disclosed method utilizes a fluorescence decay time constant of the intrinsic fluorescence of the plastic material and, if applicable, of the additive(s) therein, which is determined on the basis of the detected light, and the plastic material and/or the additive(s) therein is/are identified on the basis of the determined fluorescence decay time constant.