NEWS


US recyclers need more supply, says APR


The latest Post-consumer Plastic Recycling Data Report from the US Associa- tion of Plastic Recyclers (APR) shows 4,803.8m lb of plastics in the US was recovered for recycling in 2020. This was a 5.7% decline from 2019 due to pandemic disruptions in collection, transportation and the supply chain, plus staffing shortages. Bottles, rigid plastics, and other plastics (excluding foam) categories all saw declines in the amount of material recovered for recycling in 2020. In aggregate, recycling of waste in these categories fell by 290m lbs in 2020


Above: Steve Alexander, APR President and CEO


compared with 2019. Steve Alexander, APR


President and CEO, said: “We need more supply. Our industry faces significant challenges that require immediate solutions. We need to focus our efforts on


technologies that are up and running today. Mechanical recyclers have the capacity to process more material but lack the supply to meet the current demand for post- consumer resin (PCR). Expanding and streamlining recycling collection pro- grams, less confusion with labelling, and reducing contamination through design for recyclability should be key priorities.” Film waste collection


increased by 8m lbs, just under 1%, in 2020. This reflected increases in PE mixed colour and PE agricultural films sub- categories. � https://plasticsrecycling.org


IML tested in PP waste stream


RecyClass, the European industry organisation focused on recyclability criteria, has carried out an analysis to verify the compatibility of PP-based, printed in-mould label (IML) technologies with recycling of PP containers. It found that the labels are compat- ible with the coloured rigid


PP recycling stream pro- vided the total weight of the inks does not exceed 1% of the weight of the container. The analysis also showed


that IML have a low compat- ibility with the natural PP waste stream. RecyClass Design for Recycling Guidelines have been updated to reflect these


findings.


In testing, recycled pellets of IML PP containers were reprocessed using injection moulding. The analysis demonstrated that while the IML itself does not strongly impact the quality of the recyclate, the printing ink does reduce quality. � https://recyclass.eu


Huhtamaki opens plant


in India The Huhtamaki Foundation has inaugurated its first recycling plant in Khopoli, Maharashtra, India. The foundation has been set up, it said, “to work towards the conservation of the environment in India with a focus on driving sustainable packaging solutions and driving forward the circular economy by setting up recycling schemes”. The 2,000 m² plant has the capacity to recycle about 1,600 kg of post- consumer flexible plastics per day. It became fully operational on 2 May. The recycling process includes advanced technol- ogy to enable the efficient sorting of post-consumer waste, hot washing to remove contamination, and extrusion with extra filtration and deodorisation. This ensures the recycled material can then be used for domestic appliances. The plant was set up with an investment of INR 90m as part of the Huhtamaki Foundation’s Close The Loop initiative. � www.huhtamaki.com


Project helps processors optimise recycling


SKZ, the South German Plastics Centre, said it is involved in the PlastIQ project which aims to develop an AI-based system for plastics processors to forecast quantity, quality and availabil- ity of plastic waste they generate in order to achieve optimal recycling of this waste. The project is being carried


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out by the start-up WeSort.AI with the support of SKZ. The simultaneous forecasting of


quality, composition and availability of waste allows an automated compari- son of different recycling options with regard to economic and ecological criteria, said SKZ. Subsequent match-


PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | May/June 2022


ing with potential buyers simplifies and accelerates the process of further exploitation.


SKZ said companies will be able, in


the future, to evaluate their plastic waste quickly and easily, to identify the best way to use and implement it. � www.skz.de


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


IMAGE: APR


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