Summary
The recycling network for post-consumer plastic packaging waste (PPW) is
relatively new in the Netherlands. This project aims for a scientific
understanding of PPW-processing chains and their evaluation in terms of
environmental benefits and overall costs. Post-consumer packaging recycling is
expected to deliver research results that will help stakeholders in the
recycling system to develop more cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly
processes.
The project team has been able to generate a detailed technical and logistical
description of the recycling network. This has been used to predict the future
performance of new scenarios for PPW collection and recycling, taking into
account both costs and environmental benefits. The study scenarios include
source separation of PPW by households, mechanical recovery of plastics from
municipal solid-waste, deposit-refund systems and various combinations of these
systems. The project has yielded new insights into the key parameters that
impact the environmental performance and economic aspects of new recycling
policies. Furthermore, the project has provided more insight into optimisation
options in the sorting and reprocessing technologies used in practice, in the
redesign options for food packages that really help to make the PPW recycling
chains more efficient and has investigated the feasibility of using recycled
plastics in high-value applications.
TI Food and Nutrition Project Leader: Dr Ulphard Thoden van Velzen
Time Frame: 2009 – 2014
publication:
Scientific proof
of high-value applications for recycled plastics