NEWS


Film recycling in Europe grew in 2020 despite Covid pandemic


Flexible film recycling capacity in Europe grew almost 10% in 2020, despite the effects of Covid. According to Plastics Recyclers


Europe (PRE), which represents recycling companies, capacity for polyethylene (PE) film recycling grew to 2.7 million tonnes last year – with the number of facilities rising by 30 to reach 218.


“Once deemed difficult to recycle,


flexible household PE waste recycling is a successful business case model of today,” said Ton Emans, president of PRE.


“This does not mean that there are no challenges. The main obstacles in targeting new high-end applications are multi-layer and multi-material prod- ucts, which are not in line with Design for Recycling principles”, he said. LLDPE/LDPE is the second largest


plastic fraction in the EU market, with around 9 million tonnes. Today, 17% of recycled flexible PE is used in film-to- film applications – with non-food packaging and building & construction being the largest markets, said PRE. Forecasts show that PE film products could incorporate overall as much as


38% of recycled content by 2030, it added.


PRE says that extended collection schemes, better sorting technologies and a commitment to use more recycled material will help to increase the recycling of flexible plastics. “Processes that propose putting only 20% of recycled film back into film applications – and 80% to injection moulding – are a step backwards for our industry as they are not aligned with the principles of the circular economy,” said Emans. � www.plasticsrecyclers.eu


Tomra opens flake sorting test centre in Italy


In September, Tomra Recycling officially opened its new flake sorting Test Centre, next to its office in Parma, Italy. The centre will be used to develop new applications and solutions in PO and PET flake sorting, and also to expand the group’s service offering. Customers from around the world can ship their plastic flakes to the centre where they will be pro- cessed by Tomra’s flake sorting machines. Based on the test analysis and results, Tomra will then recommend the most suitable machine, process and sensor configu- ration for each customer’s specific sorting require- ments and goals. Tomra says its customers have been benefitting for decades from this approach that has been offered


10


Renuva plant starts up


Above: Ribbon cutting by Tom Eng, (centre) Head of Tomra Recycling, at the company’s new facility in Parma, Italy


globally via Tomra’s test centres in Germany, the United States, Japan, Korea and China. Fabrizio Radice, VP and


Head of Global Sales and Marketing at Tomra Recy- cling, said: “We have witnessed increasing demand for flake sorting tests and a strong market push for high-quality


PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | October 2021


recycled plastics.” Around 100 participants


attended the opening event which included a guided tour of the facility, plus presentations and demon- strations highlighting the company’s long-term plastics strategy, the purpose of the new facility and the benefits it offers customers. � www.tomra.com/recycling


Partners in the Renuva foam mattress recycling program have inaugurated the first plant in France. Dow Polyurethanes, Orrion Chemicals Orga- form, Eco-mobilier, H&S Anlagentechnik and The Vita Group opened the plant, which at full capacity will process up to 200,000 mattresses per year to tackle the growing mattress waste problem. In the Renuva program,


old mattresses made of polyurethane foam will be recovered, dismantled and chemically recycled to create new polyols, a key material in the production of polyurethane. The Vita Group will use


the Renuva polyol to create foam. � https://corporate.dow.com


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


IMAGE: TOMRA


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