Plastics recycling proves profitable and versatile
Recycling rates of 35% are realistic
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the plastics industry gave little thought to sensible ways of disposing of or recovering waste plastics but the issue became relevant by 1991 when the German Packaging Ordinance came into effect. Taking the lead at the time, Germany was the first country to set up rules for the recovery of plastics waste and to establish them on the market. In the meantime, many countries in Europe have addressed the issue and developed highly successful strategies for collection and recovery. According to surveys by PlasticsEurope, about 47 million tons of plastics were consumed in the 27 countries of the EU plus Switzerland and Norway in 2011, 40% for non-durable and 60% for durable applications. In the same year, some 25 million tons of waste plastics were collected, 40% going to landfills and 60% being recovered.
The waste from collection systems for used packages accounted for over 60% of this, followed by products from the construction, automotive and electronics sectors. Exemplary collections systems are in place in nine European countries: Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and Luxemburg (listed in descending order) with collection rates ranging from 99% to 92%. At the same time, six of these countries have the highest recycling rates in Europe. Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Austria with rates of 35% to 26% head the field by a clear margin. The remaining collected wastes are recovered to generate energy by incineration.