PRE: HDPE and PP recycling in Europe stagnates

Recyclers are warning that the recovery of HDPE and PP in Europe has stalled in the face of growing imports of secondary polymers and insufficient collection regimes.

Previous growth in the recycling of HDPE and PP plateaued in 2023, according to a new report from Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE) in collaboration with ICIS, which provides data on production, collection and recycling within the EU 27+3 region. ​

‘Key challenges, including insufficient collection, unregulated imports of plastic materials and a lack of enforcement measures continue to hinder the expansion of the recycling industry,’ says Herbert Snell, chair of its HDPE working group.

‘The plastic recycling industry calls for urgent actions to alleviate the pressure that the current market situation puts on recyclers and safeguard the achievement of the European legislative targets.’

Collection rates

According to the report, the installed European recycling capacity for HDPE in 2023 was 1.7 million tonnes and 1.8 million tonnes for PP, with an estimated 300 recycling facilities. PRE attributes a stagnation compared to 2022 to weaker demand amid a global polyolefin oversupply, high inflation, high energy costs and competition from lower-cost imports of both virgin and recycled polymers.

PRE also remarks that no notable improvement in collection rates was observed between 2018 and 2023. Only 42% of collected waste underwent sorting processes that rendered it suitable for recycling.

‘The discrepancy between collection volumes and recycling input can be attributed to several factors, including incompatibilities with design-for-recycling principles, exports and sorting limitations,’ it adds.

Ambitious targets

These figures come at a time when the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) sets ambitious recycled content targets for an additional two million tonnes of HDPE and PP recycling capacity by 2030 and a further 5.7 million tonnes by 2040. PRE says the current market conditions, and recycling capacity estimates for 2024, raise significant concerns whether these targets can be met without decisive political intervention.

‘To reverse the downward trend and support further growth in EU recycling, PRE emphasises the establishment of a level playing field via robust oversight of imported materials, the adoption of stringent design-for-recycling guidelines, a substantial increase in collection rates, and the deployment of advanced sorting technologies.’

PRE concludes such steps are critical to driving investment, securing progress, and ensuring that Europe keeps its recycling industrial base while maintaining its circular economy goals within reach.