Recycling packaging waste

As for enviromnental aspects, in the last years many LCAs have been performed that aimed to compare the different recycling and treatment routes for plastics packaging waste. They often include cost calculations for the whole waste management chain. Examples include ... 

The eurrent and future levels of plastic packaging recycling is discussed with reference to the imminent updating of the 1994 Paekaging and Packaging Waste Directive. Data are ineluded relating to current recovery levels by eountry for western Europe, for mechanical and... 

This provides brief information from a new report, produced on behalf of the British Plastics Federation, by the Centre for Economics Business Research, which says that over half of the UK s EPS packaging will be reclaimed by the year 2010, using recycling or waste-to-energy schemes. 

BASF has delayed a decision on whether to press ahead with a DM300 million investment in a plastics feedstock recycling unit at Ludwigshafen. The decision to go ahead depends on the winning of a contract from DKR, a new recycling company for plastics packaging waste. The article supplies full details. 

With reference to the latest UK government s attempts to tackle the problem of the disposal and/or recycling of packaging waste, comments are reported from Cameron McLatchie, chief executive of British Polythene Industries. He calls for a landfill levy and increased use of incineration with energy recovery. According to recent studies, the capacity for mechanical recycling is presently insufficient. Statistics relating to waste production are included and the case for incineration in the UK is propounded. 

Contaminants in recycled plastic packaging waste (HDPE, PP) were identified by MAE followed by GC-MS analysis [290]. Fragrance and flavour constituents from first usage were detected. Recycled material also contained aliphatic hydrocarbons, branched alkanes and alkenes, which are also found in virgin resins at similar concentration levels. Moreover, aromatic hydrocarbons, probably derived from additives, were found. Postconsumer PET was also analysed by Soxhlet extraction and GC-MS most of the extracted compounds (30) were thermally degraded products of additives and polymers, whereas only a few derived from the original contents... 

The EU Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste sets a recovery target for used packaging of 25% by 2001 and 50-65% by 2005. It is likely that recycling of postconsumer plastics will require substantial polymer/additive analyses. 

A review is presented of the findings of a study of PVC as a packaging material undertaken by a committee of experts set up by the Spanish Ministry of the Environment. It was concluded that PVC does not pose a threat to health or the environment, that it complies with requirements for specific packaging applications, and that PVC packaging waste can be easily recycled and safely incinerated. SPAIN,MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT... 

PET is an ideal material for recycling. It can be reprocessed multiple times and the source material is available in large quantities, mostly as a mono-material . The main focus today is on PET bottles which are collected in dedicated collection systems [108] or separated from other waste streams. Around the world, countries are planning to or have already adopted legislation to reduce packaging waste by the following approaches ... 

The main methods for the recycling of polymer-based packaging wastes are ... 

Mechanical recycling is one of the main targets of the EU Directive 94/62/ EEC on packaging and packaging waste [9]. Recycled packaging materials... 

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