Goal of the project

Recent feeling in Czech Republic considers still the only used one-way, non refillable PET bottles as ecologically unfavourable.

"I feel almost personally embarrassed by the fact that even today its environmental benefits are still not fully recognised" declare Dr. Bram Opschoor (PETplanet Insider 2001/10), who helped to develop the PET bottle for carbonated drinks almost 30 years ago. And Dr. Opschoor continues "Blow moulding of PET preforms stretches and orients the PET molecules in two dimensions and this yielded a very tough plastic bottle weighing only 45 grams to hold 1,5 litres of carbonated drink. This could be compared to almost 1 kg of glass needed for  a 1 litre glass bottle. Further developments have led to an optimised blow moulding process which helped reduce the bottle weight to 35 grams - and even reduction can be expected  in the future".

As the title of this project claims, key objective is to facilitate the economical  recovery of PET containers, so to improve existing situation of reclaiming and recycling PET containers in the Czech Republic. Through PETRECYCLING CZ, I hope to be making a useful contribution to national policymakers to take into account  the latest advanced knowledge when drafting legislative texts. This demand is based on the author’s extended research.

Situation worldwide

PET as a packaging material conquered the world. There are no doubts about it. It is not by chance that PET is labelled with an international code #1 among all plastics.

 It offers a highly relevant contribution to the important issue of material reduction even if compared to refillable glass.

In Europe, recycling of PET bottles will reach a volume of 300 000 tonnes in the year 2001, representing a 20% annual growth. In 1999 there was used approximately 1.63 millions tons of this polymer just within Europe.

PET bottle has, in comparison with a classic glass bottle evident advantages, such as low weight and a mechanical resistance. Considering the advantages of PET packaging, there’s no wonder that glass packaging utilization rapidly decreases  Low weight also contributes to a less ecological load, conversely what still claims surprisingly also Czech  LCA  (in Czech). But it seems rather than that also puts lawmakers and Ministry of environment under certain pressure (Czech). Similar actions caused a confusion either in public or among politicians and a noticeable delay against an advanced world, especially Germany, France and USA, but surprisingly even against countries of SE Asia..

In Europe, there was found out that only about 10% of plastic bottles (which corresponds to 100 000 tons of PET material) returned to be recycled again. There was collected and consecutively recycled cc 20 000 tons of used PET bottles in 2000 just in Germany.

As the use of plastic containers for drinks increased, the world called for a better and more efficient processing of the plastic waste. The entire circle was expanded by a branch, which fed the process with a collected used PET material. This demand led to a technology and appropriate equipment development, which was an ideal way of neutralizing the expensive PET collecting, sorting by its colour, and pre-processing on the so called RVM (Czech) automats TOMRA or Repant. Relative to those intelligent machines it has brought us to technologies that allow for PET recycling for "back to bottle" applications in closed loop.

Overall qualitative demands on PET used for food industry purposes within EU do not exist yet. Recycled plastic is not explicitly excluded from usage for food, but it has to meet same requirements as a pure primary polymer does. This provides the so called Stehning process (Czech), or in english. This process  works on equipment like Austrian Erema (in Czech), (in german/english), German OHL, Schmalbach-Lubeca Supercycle and others. These and other European equipment producers obtained a certification on their product and a permission (e.g. non-objection letter) for use in food industry from US FDA (American Food and Drug Administration) and from German Frauenhofer Institute. The requirements are very strict.

Contemporary situation in the Czech Republic

Similarly to other countries, we can observe a significant expansion of a PET trend in our country as well, not only in using of PET container  for mineral and table water, non-alcoholic drinks, but even packaging beer, milk and yet wine.

In 2001 volume of PET bottle used for drinks will reach cc 40 000 tons, which equals a billion pieces of bottles. Recycling of this "secondary raw material" is not such poor in comparison with EU, but in no case it does mean that we shall not improve it any further. Existing  ways of collecting (Czech) and sorting (Czech) provides for approximately 20 – 30% used no refillable PET bottles, but intended legislative does not take in account all of nowadays capabilities. Thanks to plastic collecting and sorting support from a non-profit national association EKO-KOM, there has been founded many reclaimers, which successfully operate and involve in collecting, sorting and processing (pressing it or crushing) and subsequently in selling of this commodity either within the Czech Republic itself or distributing it abroad. Our major plant for processing and recycling sorted plastic bottles, the SILON stock company (CONSTAB GROUP), is able to process around 12 000 tons of PC PET bottles after a expensive investment, which equals cc 30% of a packaging  PET material in the Czech Republic. The mayor outlet for recycled PET is extrusion into fibres for textiles or industrial non-woven fabrics.

But having welcomed a deposit tax on PET containers legislatively, should we be able not only to fulfil the SILON’s capacity, but to build up recycling plants for running the close loop bottle to bottle processing (Czech), (english version)

Latest information about PET bottle containers recycling should be therefore fast and extensively applied within the Czech Republic. A high price of the equipment assumes dealing with external investors. The process is hindered just with a bad information spread, insufficient media support, certain marginalization of „waste“ by competent institutes and authorities and first of all with a strong lobby interest.

Server PETrecycling CZ would like to participate on eliminating any doubts, chaos and stress all of the positives of the recycling in so called closed loop process.

My personal comments:

• COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT on the Interpretative Communication on waste and by-products - Brussels, 21.02.2007  COM (2007) 0059

Still don´t exists OTHER options in many countries in Europe to PRO EUROPE (Packaging Recovery Organisation Europe) collection method for recyclables. This obsolete method (from the 1980ies) are motivating ONLY cities and municipalities, but ARE NOT INCENTIVE ENOUGH for CITIZEN´S INVOLMENT.

To learn more about PET and PET recycling, have a look at PETCORE video The PET lifecycle video

Related articles on RVM/TRC/ARC TOMRA search in main menu RETURN

Related links on IP PETrecycling.cz in English only (see left column below - submenu):

• Czech Gateway to the PET bottles Recycling

More articles on IP PETrecycling.cz:
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Edited: Dec 30,2001
Updated: 16.12.2008 08:48 +0100