Page 70 from: West Coast report + Plastics Special
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MORSSINKHOF-RYMOPLAST TAKES
PET RECYCLING TO GERMANY
Dutch family business Morssinkhof-Rymoplast is
building a plastics recycling facility in Leipzig,
Germany.
The site will be located in a car factory previously
owned by Fehrer Automotive. It will be completely
transformed to boast a capacity of roughly 40 000
tonnes per year. A large-scale expansion is neces-
sary to cater to the growing demand for polyethel-
yne (PET), says company ceo Stefan Morssinkhof.
Currently, Morssinkhof-Rymoplast producers
approximately 300 000 tonnes of recyclate every
year.
Ikea acquired a minority 15% stake in the company
for US$ 1 billion in 2017 to launch a line of kitchen
fronts made from recycled plastic.
Other leading brands, such as Unilever, are gradu-
ally embracing recycled content products too. The
firm wants to manufacture bottles containing at
least 25% recycled PET by 2025. This is a step
towards the EU’s mandatory 2030 target calling for
all plastic bottles to contain 30% recycled content.
It’s worth nothing that over 2 million tonnes of PET
processed across Europe annually. This volume can
be recycled into 1.4 million tonnes of recyclate,
according to trade group Plastics Recyclers Europe.
Besides, up to 200 000 tonnes of PET installed
capacity ‘remain unexploited’.
France, Germany, Spain, Italy and UK together
generate almost the majority (70%) of all plastic
packaging waste in Europe. At the same time, they
represent 65% of PET recycling capacity. Germany
is number 1 in the top 3 with 27%, followed by
France (15%), and Italy (14%).
WIMBLEDON: GAME, SET, RECYCLING!
Star tennis play-
ers competing at
this year’s
Wimbledon tour-
nament all wore
clothing made
from recycled
plastics. Event
champion
Angelique Kerber
confirms she is
happy to support
the ‘green’ dress
code.
The famed UK
fashion designer
Stella McCartney
has created the
recycled plastic
costumes and
sourced the mate-
rials mainly from
ocean plastics. She
previously created
sportswear based
on recycled plas-
tics for athletes
representing Great
Britain at the
London Olympic
Games in 2012.
In both cases, discarded plastic is upcycled into yarn, combined with fibres from
recycled garments. The materials are dyed using a process that McCarthy says
reduces water consumption by 10 litres per garment.
The recycled apparel is part of Wimbledon’s larger sustainability strategy. For
example, when a player breaks a tennis racquet, the repaired one will no longer
be packaged in plastic. As a result there will be about 4 500 fewer plastic bags
used on site. This complements a goal to phase out plastic shopping bags at
gift shops and food stalls. Wimbledon has also hired more staff to help specta-
tors recycle bottles and food packaging.
CANADA: NO MORE SINGLE-USE PLASTICS,
THANK YOU
Less than 10% of plastic used in Canada gets recycled. That’s
why the country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced
a ban on certain single-use plastic products by 2021.
Every year, Canadians throw away over three million tonnes of
plastic which represents up to C$ 8 billion (EUR 5.3 billion) in
lost value as well as wasting valuable resources and energy. The
ban applies to items such as bags, straws, cutlery, plates, and
stir sticks. Up to 15 billion plastic bags are used every year in
Canada, while close to 57 million straws are used daily.
‘Without a change of course, Canadians will throw away an esti-
mated C$ 11 billion worth of plastic materials each year by
2030,’ says Trudeau. He calls it a ‘defining moment’ and says
pollution caused by plastic waste is ‘a problem we simply can’t
afford to ignore’.
Besides phasing out single-use plastics, the Government is tak-
ing steps to further reduce plastic waste. These include promot-
ing the use of affordable and safe alternatives as well as sup-
porting innovation. To achieve the goals, governments and
businesses across Canada will have to work closely together.
According to Trudeau, the government will introduce standards
and targets for companies that manufacture plastic products or
sell items with plastic packaging so they become responsible
for their own plastic waste. Measures will be based on scientific
evidence and will align, where appropriate, with similar actions
by other nations.
Improved plastic waste management and investment in innova-
tive solutions are expected to reduce carbon pollution by 1.8
million tonnes while generating billions of dollars in revenue
and creating 42 000 jobs.
Canada has the longest coastline in the world and is home to
one-quarter of the world’s fresh water. ‘Canadians know first-
hand the impacts of plastic pollution and are tired of seeing
their beaches, parks, streets, and shorelines littered with plastic
waste,’ Trudeau points out.
He says around 650 000 tonnes of abandoned, lost or discarded
fishing gear enters Canada’s oceans annually and this material
can stay intact for up to 600 years. Trudeau concludes: ‘We
have a responsibility to work with our partners to reduce plastic
pollution, protect the environment, and create jobs and grow
our economy.’
A U T H O R Kirstin Linnenkoper
LEADING TECHNOLOGIES FOR WEEE
ANDRITZ’s innovative Cross-Flow
Shredder QZ breaks down different
composite materials quickly and gently
with rotating chains so that the individual
fractions are exposed and can easily
be sorted. Parts containing hazardous
substances are left intact, while
potentially harmful gases are collected
in compliance with WEEELABEX and
CENELEC requirements. This single-stage
process with high economic efficiency is
conducted in a fully encapsulated system
warranting high throughput and rapid
access to extremely clean fractions while
reducing costs for energy consumption and
maintenance. For more information please
contact us: [email protected]
ANDRITZ AG ⁄ Stattegger Strasse 18 ⁄ 8045 Graz ⁄ Austria ⁄ andritz.com/recycling
RECOVER RAW
MATERIALS
MAINTAIN VALUES
RECYCLING
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