26
2020
Research
Chemical recycling offers major
potential for plastic packaging
Developments in chemical recycling technologies are creating new opportunities for recovering resources from plastic
packaging waste. So says Axion’s head of circular economy Richard McKinlay, whose company works with government
agencies, local authorities and companies in diverse sectors on new processing and collection methods to recover value
from waste resources.
I
ssues surrounding plastic packaging waste
and how we tackle it continue to dominate
the headlines. Pressure is growing to find
solutions and create a sustainable system for
plastics.
Action is being taken through various col-
laborative initiatives that are bringing togeth-
er businesses from across the entire plastics
value chain with UK governments and NGOs
to create a circular economy for plastics and
to achieve key targets. Several companies have
committed to making 100% of their packag-
ing recyclable by 2025. The UK is also aim-
ing for an effective recycling rate of 70% and
30% average recycled content across all plastic
packaging by 2025.
For waste plastic packaging, the ideal recy-
cling solution would be turn it back into new
packaging materials. Mechanical recycling
is the standard method widely used today,
involving sorting, washing and extrusion to
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