Held jointly with CMT’s 20th annual GEPET, the new RecyclePlast on May 7-8, spotlights Europe’s plastics waste markets and collection, sorting infrastructure and recycling technologies. Under the European Commission’s plans, by 2030 all plastic packaging in the EU market would need to be recyclable. Single-use plastic use would also be reduced. One key aspect of the law relates to Extended Producer Responsibility schemes, which oblige manufacturers to pay a fee covering the cost of collection, transport and management of waste. How can the industry come together to make EPR economics work ? What can the EU countries learn from each other ?
The UK Plastics Pact launched by WRAP has set a 70% target for effective recycling or composting of plastics packaging with a view to achieving an average of 30% recycled content across all plastic packaging. If these aspirations are to be achieved, then around 500,000 tonnes of additional reprocessing capacity will need to be identified either in the UK or abroad.
Are current recycling infrastructure and sorting technologies equipped to meet the higher ambitions ? to achieve recycling goals, the industry first has to work on increasing recovery.
What game-changing solutions are there that can leverage technology to drive more people to recycle the right way ? Is chemical recycling the answer ?
Some EU countries are moving ahead with waste-derived fuels. However, some argue that plastics to fuels would seem to violate the Commission’s rules on what counts as recycled waste . Supporters are pushing for plastic-derived fuels to count toward national binding targets for the share of renewable energy to be used in the transport sector as this technology has the potential to decarbonize transport, especially in aviation, where no renewable alternatives exist.
At RecyclePLAST for the Circular Economy, CMT has put together an authoritative panel from plastic resin producers, packaging companies to recyclers to share recent developments on Plastics Recycling moving forward.
Highlights:
- Improving Markets for Recycled Plastics – Trends, Prospects and Policy Responses
- The Polyolefin Circular Economy Platform (PCEP) iniatives in driving forward Europe’s polyolefins recycling
- Development of post-consumer polyolefin recyclates and new products in the area of circular polyolefins
- For recycling to be successful, brand owners must commit to designing products and packaging that are recyclable as well as to consuming recycled materials in the manufacturing of their product. Hear from Wehler a sustainable design furniture brand how it is using ocean plastics to produce furniture
- CEFLEX’s progress towards developing a circular economy for flexible packaging
- Closing the loop for Plastic IT Electronic Products and ink cartridges – Hewlett Packard’s perspective
- Multilayer & mixed plastic recycling technology update
- Recycling polystyrene
- Converting hard- to- recycle plastics into fuels & plastics
- Sharing of good practices & plastic recycling initiatives across Europe – covering Spain, UK , Norway
- Leading thermoform producer – KP’s Positive Plastic Pledge on how to build a sustainable future using the valuable benefits of plastics responsibly
- Evolving Extended Producers Responsibility -making the economics work for the future
