NEWS


PRE’s latest figures show capacity growth


The latest figures from Plastics Recyclers Europe show that the total installed plastics recycling capacity in EU27+3 countries stood at 12.5m tonnes in 2022, a 10% growth on the previous year. This figure has almost doubled from 2018 to 2022 and averaged a yearly growth rate of 16%. The European plastic


recycling industry invested an estimated €1bn in 2022, despite heavy market disruption. The amount of


recyclates produced grew at a lower rate, down from 17% to 10% year-on-year, due to lower demand during the Covid pandemic and the energy crisis in 2022. Ton Emans, PRE President, said: “In 2023, the concern- ingly low demand for recyclates hit the sector, resulting from low prices for virgin plastics due to reduced industrial produc- tion in the EU and cheap imports of recycled plastic from outside the EU. Moving


IMAGE: ALPLA


forward, enforcement of legislative measures will be essential in ensuring the progress can be continued,” he added. Around 850 companies


were active in recycling plastics in EU27+3 in 2022, the plants averaging 15,000 tonnes/yr. Flexibles continue to lead in terms of the installed recycling capacities with more than 3.3m tonnes reported in 2022. PE and PP flexibles, PET, and HDPE and PP rigids hold the largest proportion of the overall capacity in EU27+3 countries, representing nearly 80%. Germany, Spain, Italy, the


UK, and France remained the countries with the highest installed capacity, accounting for 60% of the total.


Belgium, Netherlands,


Above: From 2018 to 2022, European plastics recycling capacity averaged a yearly growth rate of 16%


Poland, and Romania experienced major growth during 2022, said PRE. � www.plasticsrecyclers.eu


Trinseo inaugurates PMMA plant


Plastics producer Trinseo has inaugu- rated a next generation, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) depolymerisa- tion plant in Rho, Italy. The operation is designed to enable the efficient recycling of end-of-life PMMA into feedstock to be used to produce acrylic resins, sheets, and compounds containing recycled materials. As depolymerisation converts the polymer back to its constituent monomers, the process allows for the recycling of a wider variety of PMMA-


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based materials, supporting an increase in recycled content and overall recycling rates, and helping reduce demand for virgin materials, said Trinseo. Trinseo’s depolymerisation facility is being developed around a continu- ous recovery model to produce high quality recycled PMMA. “When combined with our own in-house sourcing and treatment of collected materials through our Heathland recycling operation, our


PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | January/February 2024


PMMA depolymerisation plant will offer a high-performance solution for a world increasingly looking for new ways to address sustainability in the plastics supply chain,” said Francesca Reverberi, Trinseo’s Chief Sustainability Officer. Material produced using the depolymerisation process will be integrated as part of Trinseo’s R-Life portfolio. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in Q1 2024. � www.trinseo.com


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


Mitsubishi starts PC scheme


Mitsubishi Chemical Group has started verification testing of a scheme for collecting PC resin from headlamps of end-of-life vehicles in the Kanto region of Japan. The testing will be conducted in collabora- tion with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance (TMNF) and ABT Corpora- tion, the partners having worked together since February 2023 to verify the processes of recover- ing acrylic resin from automotive tail lamps and the like by making use of TMNF’s and ABT’s network for the process- ing and disposal of end-of-life vehicles. Based on the results such as those regarding operations, material quality, and costs, the Mitsubishi group will gradually expand loca- tions in Japan for verifica- tion testing. � www.mcgc.com


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