Feedstock recycling best for ELV plastics

Archiv – The mechanical recycling of plastic parts from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) is to be favoured only in the case of large, easily accessible, mono-material parts. According to a study published by the Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe (APME), feedstock recycling and energy recovery are the most eco-efficient routes in the majority of instancs.
The mechanical recycling of plastic parts from end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) is to be favoured only in the case of large, easily accessible, mono-material parts. According to a study published by the Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe (APME), feedstock recycling and energy recovery are the most eco-efficient routes in the majority of instances.
Axel Kistenmacher, who is responsible for automotive plastics at APME’s Technical and Environmental Centre, comments: ’The use of plastics in cars is growing steadily and by 2015 we expect some 1.3 million tonnes of plastics waste to come from 12 million ELVs. This study will help to facilitate the development of technologies that support the reuse, recycling and energy recovery of these car parts.’€™
The study compared the eco-efficiency performance of six plastics waste management options and focused on seven different vehicle components. It found that mechanical recycling was the method of choice mainly for large, easily accessible, mono material parts if it was assumed that there was no significant material deterioration and that a sufficient market for the material existed. But for most of the parts studied, feedstock recycling and energy recovery were found to be best options because they combined favourable environmental and economic features.
Landfill was generally found to have the worst eco-efficiency rating of all the options studied.