Why only a quarter of all plastic packaging is recycled
What is the actual recycling rate of plastic packaging? In general, only 50% of all collected packaging can be recycled. This is because many packages are designed in such a way that they cannot be recycled. This is especially the case with multilayers or multi-layer foil, which consist of different types of plastic that cannot be separated again. If we want to change this, the packaging design must be adapted to the recycling concept.
How much is now returned to the material cycle? The calculation is as follows: approx. 75% of all packaging is collected, of which approx. 50% must be sorted out because it cannot be recycled. Of the remaining 37.5%, about a third is lost during the regranulation process, so that we can assume a quota of 25 to 27% of the plastic waste that is turned back into usable granulate.
What happens to this granulate? PET bottles, for example, can be 100% recycled. In the meantime, the granulate has even reached the "food grade" standard, i.e. it may be used in the food environment.
For other polyolefins such as PE (polyethylene) or PP (polypropylene) this is still a long way to go. The reason for this is that these plastics take on odors more strongly, so that a granulate that smells like detergent cannot be utilised in the food sector but could be used in the cleaning sector.
The use of recyclates in the clothing industry is also no longer a rarity. Nowadays, for example, you can buy a sweater made from recycled plastic bottles that, thanks to strict monitoring, does not contain any questionable components.
Mainly, however, the granules are used to make buckets, containers, pipes and cable sheathing. Plastic as a packaging material is still one of the best options that the products are better protected, yet lightweight and less likely to spoil. Therefore it is still the number one solution for all packaging requirements.
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But to move one step further, the wish remains that the use of recyclates should be promoted more by the state in the future, be it through guidelines or incentives.
REMONDIS has also been campaigning for years to improve the legal situation around recycling. Our colleagues are working tirelessly to implement many sensible changes to the law across Europe. Because we are thinking recycling from the very beginning - day by day.
REMONDIS // Working for the future
?Source: awm-muenchen.de/epaper/re-magazin/#12