The recycling of plastic materials in community waste in Europe

- The best practices

Silvia Buchmann05.11.2013

World plastics production 1950-2012

Life Cycle of Plastics in 2012

The European Union's approach to waste management

Plastic packaging has the highest recycling and energy recovery rate

Netherlands – 2012 over 50% recycled

• Plastic packaging collection only started in 2009• ¾ of the collected material got recycled in 2012• Companies (producers and importers) are legally obliged

to separately collect all the plastic waste and offer for recycling.

• They pay a waste management fee for financing the system of collection and recycling

• Collections:– Underground containers that condense the plastic– In containers at street level– house-to-house with transparent bags

Germany – 2012 over 40% recycled

• collected in transparent yellow bags or bins• Recycled plastic can keep up with virgin plastic• economically reasonable, much cheaper• goal for 2015: more than 60%

European Plastics Demand by Resin Type 2012

The Technique (Germany - PP)

Products out of recycled PP Plastics

PE is very sought

PVC recycling in the UK

• by selective dissolution and filtration• a virgin-like recycled PVC compound• Plastic recycling target by 2017 is 57%

(28% in 2012)

Utilization e.g. Germany

• more than 90% in Germany• the rest mainly in Europe• Otherwise only certified customers

• "Green Fence" policy by Chinese government:dam the import of unsorted, inferior plastic waste to China

• The Green Dot doesn’t export unsorted plastic waste.

Thank you for your attention!