PLASTICS SPECIAL
67recyclinginternational.com | July/August | 2019
The hi-tech installation in Bulgaria is
the result of ‘many years of planning
and big investments in R&D,’ adds Dr
Volker Rehrmann, Tomra’s executive
vice president. ‘It is the first such inno-
vative plant of its kind but I’m confi-
dent it won’t be the last. Industry
stakeholders are eager to reach the
next level of recycling and our tech-
nology is the missing link.’
ACCELERATING NOW
The businessman reports that more
than 5 500 Tomra Sorting Recycling
systems are installed in 80 countries
worldwide. The recycling tech supplier
has also created a solution for that
most challenging of polymers: black
plastic. Another guest speaker,
Graeme Smith of packaging giant
Mondi Group, suggests that it would
be best if manufacturers stopped
using black pigments altogether, at
least in packaging.
Smith hails the voluntary United
Kingdom Plastics Pact as a ‘very posi-
tive development’, although he notes
that, of the 350 companies signed to
the pact, only about 60 have pledged
to reach 35% recycled content by
2025. ‘I wish all producers would set
up recycling facilities. Then they
would understand the struggle of
sourcing the right material and how
much processing they have to do,’
Smith argues.
To make recycling easier, Mondi is
now developing removable sleeves for
its products. It also believes that
establishing R&D partnerships with
leading universities and recyclers
should be a priority for all producers.
‘The problem with addressing sustain-
ability is, I feel like we’re all reading
the same book but we’re in different
chapters,’ Smith adds.
He argues that impatience is another
issue. ‘What we’re basically trying to
do is accelerate the next 15 years of
innovation into the next five. But there
is no fast forward button: real innova-
tion takes time and dedication.’
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
The plant tour and Tomra’s plastics
recycling conference coincided with
World Environment Day. ‘That was
not by accident,’ notes Tomra senior
vice president Tom Eng. He underlines
how important the circular economy
mission is to the entire company:
‘Just look at the statistics.’ Around
32% of plastic packaging escapes
collection systems in the EU. Roughly
15% of plastic packaging is incinerat-
ed, while an average of 22.5% is recy-
cled. The global recycling rate is
thought to be stuck in the range of
14-18%.
‘But it’s not all bad news. Extended
producer responsibility schemes have
made a major difference over the last
few years. The bottom line is clear:
progress is impossible without
change,’ Eng states.
And Rehrmann concludes: ‘Producers
have high expectations to meet.
Thanks to modern-day recycling tech-
nology, they now have a commercial
reason to take action.’
www.tomrasorting.com
