Archiv – Europe | Europe recycled 29% of all its plastics packaging in 2008 – easily surpassing the EU target of 22.5%, according to a joint report from four leading European organisations. These are PlasticsEurope, EuPC (for plastics converters), EuPR (for plastics recyclers), and the European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisations (EPRO). Europe | Europe recycled 29% of all its plastics packaging in 2008 – easily surpassing the EU target of 22.5%, according to a joint report from four leading European organisations. These are PlasticsEurope, EuPC (for plastics converters), EuPR (for plastics recyclers), and the European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisations (EPRO).
The report reveals that 10 European countries – Germany, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Switzerland – recycled more than 30% of their plastic packaging last year, whereas Greece, Lithuania and Malta managed only around 10%.
The report praises several recycling initiatives taking place within Europe, including the PVC industry’s Vinyl 2010 programme, as well as schemes to sort mixed plastics packaging.
Some 51.3% of post-consumer plastics was recovered in Europe last year, with the remainder going for disposal. A total of 5.3 million tonnes was recycled – as material and as feedstock – while 7.8 million tonnes was destined for energy recovery. ’We distinguish between recycling and energy recovery,’ explains EPRO’s General Secretary Peter Sundt. ’But it all counts as ’recovery’ of plastics as long as it is not incineration without energy recovery.’
The report also states that, despite 3% annual growth in post-consumer waste over the past decade, the amount of waste sent to landfills has remained stable.
The report can be downloaded at www.plasticseurope.org
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