NEWS


Austrian plant to sort complex polyolefin waste streams


Altstoff Recycling Austria (ARA), Bernegger, and GreenDot subsidiary Der Grüne Punkt, are building a new plant at the site of the TriPlast plastics sorting facility in Ennshafen port, Austria. The Sort4cycle plant is described as a “unique flagship project” for the future of Europe’s circular economy. Using the Upcycle process, it will be able to process up to 41,000 tonnes/yr of plastics that previously could only be reclaimed through energy recovery, keeping more valuable raw materials in circulation and conserving resources. The goal is to produce


recycled polyolefin materi- als suitable for contact-sen- sitive packaging through


IN BRIEF...


Tomra Recycling has opened its new Americas Test & Training Center in Charlotte, NC, featuring a testing circuit equipped with the latest sorting technologies, plus ware- house and training facilities. www.tomra.com


Nova Chemicals says that Syndigo1, its PE recycling facility in Connersville, Indiana, US, has earned the Association of Plastic Recyclers post-consumer recycled and ISO 9001 certifications. www.novachem.com


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European raw material independence, and the resilience of our economy.” A central component of Sort4cycle is a novel,


AI-based, high-performance, post-sorting system which enables the extraction of


ARA and its partners will use the advanced Upcycle process to prepare polyolefin materials


chemical recycling and, eventually, also mechanical recycling. “ARA has been working for over 30 years to continu- ously advance the circular economy in Austria,” said ARA CEO Thomas Eck. “With Sort4cycle, we are setting a true milestone –


not only nationally, but with a signal effect far beyond Austria. The plant is a decisive step toward closing plastics loops and preparing the use of recyclates in sensitive areas such as food packaging. This is essential for climate protection, resource conservation,


high purity materials from complex waste streams. This combines with ARA’s patented Upcycle process. Backed by an investment of more than €40m, the owners say the new facility will help strengthen raw material sovereignty, innovation capacity, and supply security in Austria and Europe. Commissioning is


planned for mid-2027 and construction work is already underway. � www.green-dot.com � www.ara.at � www.bernegger.at


ERDE reports on agri plastics recycling in Germany


In 2025, a total of 37,342 tonnes of agricultural plastics were collected and sent for material recycling within the Erntekunststoffe Recycling Deutschland (ERDE) initiative take-back and recycling system established by RIGK and its partners. Despite an overall reduction in market vol- umes, the initiative further increased its recycling input rate compared to the previous year, making the system even more efficient.


PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | May/June 2026 “The high level of


participation from agricul- tural businesses, trade and collection points shows that circular economy principles are increasingly being implemented in agriculture,” said Boris Emmel, System Manager of the ERDE initiative. He said that every returned agricultural plastic item helps to keep valuable raw materials in circulation and sustainably reduce environmental impact. Under the umbrella of


the IK packaging industry group, manufacturers work together with RIGK as system operator, agricultural businesses, collection partners, recyclers, and the agricultural trade to ensure a functioning take-back and recycling system with more than 700 collection points. Greenhouse films and drip irrigation pipes have now been integrated into the collection system, said the ERDE initiative. � www.erde-recycling.de


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


IMAGE: ARA


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