NEWS
Europe lags in switch to plastics circularity
Plastics Europe has pub- lished its biennial report, entitled The Circular Economy for Plastics: A European Analysis, provid- ing the latest data and insights into Europe’s circular plastics transition, including recycling. Key findings include evidence that the pace of Europe’s transition has slowed, with annual growth in circular production declining from 13.6% in 2022 to 1.2% in 2024, resulting in 8.7 Mt in circular output (15.8% of total production). By contrast, annual growth in global circular plastics production has accelerated from 5% to 7.7%.
“It is deeply concerning
that, just when Europe should be accelerating the transition to a circular
Portugal starts DRS scheme
Portugal has officially launched its deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use drink contain- ers, becoming the 19th European country to implement such a system and the first sizeable market in Southern Europe to do so. The country is using
economy, we see a dramatic slowdown,” said Rob Ingram, President of Plastics Europe and CEO of Ineos Olefins & Polymers Europe. “As a result of high energy and feedstock prices, emissions costs and a lack of fair trade, Europe’s plastics manufacturers are in survival mode.” Despite this, recycling
rates have improved to 29.6% and Europe still main-
tains the largest share of circular plastics (15.8%) in relation to its total produc- tion mix, driven by a sharp decline in fossil-based plastics production, which fell by 8.3% between 2022 and 2024.
Plastics Europe said
urgent action is needed to restore competitiveness and unlock investment in circular plastics. �
https://plasticseurope.org
Funds raised to scale recycling in Asia
Circulate Capital has raised $220m for the first close of Circulate Capital Asia II fund, which has an overall target of $300m. The Fund will now deploy growth capital to scale circular supply chains and recycling
businesses across South and Southeast Asia, with a focus on plastic solutions and packaging. It is targeting key markets such as India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia,
with real-world examples including scaling mature plastic recycling streams and building nascent markets for other plastic materials. Dow took part in the fundraising. �
www.circulatecapital.com
Tomra reverse vending technology in the national DRS scheme. Paulo Borges, Managing Director at Tomra Collection Portugal, said Tomra’s focus has been on delivering solutions that are user- friendly for consumers, efficient for retailers, and designed to support the ambitious collection targets set for Portugal. Under the new system, managed by SDR Portu- gal, consumers will pay a €0.10 deposit when purchasing eligible drink containers, including PET plastic bottles as well as aluminium and steel cans up to 3L, and receive a full refund when the contain- ers are returned via designated collection points. �
www.tomra.com
New US medical plastics recycling facility
Clym Environmental Services is opening a third medical plastics recycling facility in Frostburg, Mary- land, US, using novel technology to sanitise biologically contaminated items and preserve plastic to be diverted from landfills.
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com The company has received $1m
from the Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation to support operations at the new facility. The company offers services under three categories; safety support, waste
management, and decommissioning services. In Frostburg, the company is focused on waste management and helps customers dispose of hazardous waste properly. �
https://clymenvironmental.com
May/June 2026 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 5
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