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By Anthony Clark
EUPR warns against BD plastics

The European Plastics Recyclers (EuPR) has published a new report aiming to encourage the recycling of post-consumer plastics waste across the region. But the group warns that oxo-degradables and biodegradables are in fact damaging to the recycling stream in the long term.

Bioplastics are derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable oil, corn starch, pea starch or micro biota, while oxo-degradable plastics contain small amounts of metal salts. Bioplastics and oxo-degradable plastics can therefore not be recycled in the same process as petroleum-based plastics.

These plastics will therefore jeopardise mechanical recycling, as they are likely pollute the existing waste streams, says EuPR.
“Consequently, the presence of these new materials is expected to give rise to an uncontrolled quality of recycled material as they cannot be eliminated or detected,” says the group.

EuPR says plastics converters in Europe used 48.5m tonnes of plastics in 2008, down 7.5% on 2007. Some 24.9m tonnes ended up as post-consumer waste, up from 24.6m tonnes in 2006.

More than 50% of post-consumer plastics were recovered, with the rest going to disposal. Of the 51.3% that was recovered, 5.3m tonnes were recycled.

The handling of post-consumer plastics waste is a challenging and multifaceted problem for which many solutions exist, such as mechanical recycling, says EuPR. Therefore, the trade association has published a strategy paper entitled How to Increase Plastics Recycling that spells out some of the issues and approaches.

EuPR has spelt out 10 steps that it believes will increase the recycling of post-consumer plastics waste.

1. Close monitoring of the national collection systems and better harmonisation of the different European collection systems.
2. Stop the use of unsustainable technologies (bioplastics and Oxo-degradables) for plastics. Collection systems should create separate streams for these new materials.
3. Specific mechanical recycling targets for plastics in the Waste Framework Directive.
4. Limit the export of plastics waste to secure supply for European recyclers.
5. Favourable fiscal system for the European recycling industry.
6. Effective solution offered to plastics recyclers to comply with Reach. All stakeholders should support recyclers in creating Reach-compliant Safety Data Sheets.
7. Elimination of discriminating legislation or standards prohibiting the use of recyclates.
8. Substantial increase of green public procurement and a mandatory minimum recycled content for eco-labels.
9. Economic instruments to promote recyclates similar to the inclusion of the waste and recycling sectors into the ETS.
10. Reinforced communication and cooperation with the whole value chain.