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RECycling Of Used Plastics Ltd
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Current Issues > News & Comments > Read news
Get ready for the first Recoup project of 2009
Main News Page >>
Published: 6/01/2009

Recoup are pleased to announce that the first of a number of key projects for 2009 will soon be out of the blocks. Recyclability by Design – Version 2 (RbD – V2) will be available in January, following consultation with a number of key organisations worldwide.

These organisations include:

•EPBO European PET Bottle Platform

•EPRO European Association of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organisations

•EuPR European Plastic Recyclers

•COTREP Comité Technique de Recyclage des Emballages Plastiques

•APR Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers

• NAPCOR National Association for PET Container Resources

The original guide was published in 2006 and has gained a positive reputation worldwide. It is a European industry recognised publication, which has been downloaded by more than 1200 representatives of the packaging industry to date.

The updated guide will have a timely entrance into the plastics packaging recycling arena in 2009. The guide allows designers, specifiers and those involved in plastic packaging procurement to consider the environmental credentials of products they put onto the market. Essentially, the guide takes account of both societal and CSR expectations and ensures that plastic packaging placed on to the market is easy to collect, sort and reprocess.

Importantly, this guide is unique in recognising that for much of the publication’s audience, there is a need to make material choices that maximise recyclability on a global level, with many pack formats being adopted, not just in the UK, but across Europe and America.

Dr Steve Anderson, Consultant, and author of the guide says “A key driver for developing the original guide was the recognition that multinational companies need harmonised guidelines which - if followed - will help ensure that the recycling needs of the countries into which their packaged products are sold are satisfied. Today, this is equally valid and indeed the need for standard international guidelines has become even more important as retailers increasingly seek to source their products from outside their home country.

It is good to see that the original guide has had a lot of use and excellent publicity. The fact that even more packaging organisations have been consulted worldwide, and the guide updated to take account of recent developments in technology including the addition of specific sections on bioplastics and mixed plastics, should make it even more relevant to today’s packaging designers, specifiers and procurers. ”

Additionally, with the introduction of two new sections - Mixed Plastics Packaging and Bioplastics – the guide takes a realistic view of what is currently achievable in terms of collection, sorting and reprocessing. It also focuses on ensuring that the introduction of new materials into the recycling stream is not at the expense of, or will compromise, established systems. Therefore, as we move into 2009 and beyond, there are likely to be a number of revisions particularly in the ‘Mixed Plastics Packaging’ section as we reflect the activity and progress being made in this area.

In tandem with the revised guide, Recoup are also publishing a UK focused guide, ‘A practical guide to domestic mixed plastics packaging recycling’, an industry backed specification for mixed plastics packaging.

‘A practical guide to domestic mixed plastics packaging recycling’ will provide the industry with standard guidelines for collectors and handlers. This co-ordinated and consistent specification will help those already collecting a range of plastics packaging from households, whilst also providing good practice indicators for others looking to develop mixed plastics packaging recycling systems.

The guide has been produced in conjunction with key stakeholders throughout the industry including AWS, J & A Young and Greenstar.

John Simmons said “There is no doubt that there is pressure from a number of areas to fast forward the collection and recycling of additional plastics packaging. Recoup are playing an active role in a number of industry based groups looking at this very topic. However, as we have learnt in our near 20 years in the plastics packaging recycling industry, you have to approach the introduction of any new material into the recycling waste stream with care. It is essential that the materials to be collected can be efficiently sorted without cross material contamination, reprocessed, and that there is an end market available.

If the material has no end market and cannot currently be reprocessed, then it should not be collected. This is the message that the Recoup specification will give.

We have a number of UK companies that are making significant investments in new state of the art sorting systems to begin handling the mixed plastics packaging fraction. Adding in ‘non requested’ additional items which have, at this time, no potential end markets and will contaminate the process will have a significant adverse effect on prices paid to collectors and jeopardise the financial security of these new sorting systems.

Recoup is keen to work with all parties to ensure that when a householder places their pots, tubs and trays out for collection they will be recycled. It is important that in a climate where retaining the publics confidence is key in driving up recycling rates, ensuring that we do recycle the material collected is a must. “

Both Recyclability by Design – Version 2 and ‘A practical guide to domestic mixed plastics packaging recycling’ will be available from the Recoup website in the New Year. www.recoup.org
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