Member Control Panel
BPF Recycling Group Position Statement for Mixed Plastics Recycling
There has been a recent step change in the collection and recycling of plastic bottle waste which has been made possible by the emergence of various plastic separation, sorting, washing and de-contamination technologies.
In the rigid plastic packaging arena, a trend has also developed to specify manufacture from a smaller pool of polymer types for wider range of packaging applications. The effect of this is that PET, HDPE and PP are used to produce the vast majority of rigid food contact plastic packaging. However, our members report that the general domestic waste stream also contains some significant quantities of PVC and PS. This in turn has prompted the question as to whether it is now appropriate to recycle a wider range of packaging than just bottles and indeed trials have demonstrated both the technical feasibility and commercial viability of building such plants. The first of these are under construction.
It will be necessary to adopt large scale mixed plastic collection and recycling in order to meet the aspirations of the 20/20 Challenge.
Just as separation technologies have been developed, we are also beginning to see processes capable of utilising polymers which are to varying degrees mixed and contaminated. The BPF Recycling Group believes that a mixture of traditional single polymer recycling, mixed plastics recycling and other emerging technologies and innovations should play a role in a cohesive mixed plastic strategy over the coming years.
In addition to packaging waste, the pace of change and innovation in other sectors such as electronic waste (WEEE) and Automotive waste (ELV), together with the pull of regulation, are likely to provide opportunities for growth of such recycling. Clearly such opportunities will need to be shown to be sustainable, and viable if they are to be grasped.
