This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at La valorización total de los envases plásticos: un objetivo cada vez más cercano

Plastic packaging waste management

The total recovery of plastic packaging: an increasingly close goal

Eva Verdejo Andrew, Coordinator of the line of recycling and the environment of Aimplas26/03/2010

March 26, 2010

The evolution of the use of plastic materials in the packaging sector is an irrefutable fact: are used more and more containers, increasingly is consumed more plastic in their manufacture, and in most cases these containers are becoming increasingly more complex due to the desire to cover all the requirements demanded by the market.

Within these requirements include, among others, as varied points such as: the preservation of the content, quality, price or environmental performance. Thus, depending on the specific case, you can find different plastic containers with a wide variety of materials, properties and characteristics, including aspects such as the increase in the time of conservation, adaptation to the needs of older people or to maintain its integrity even if it is manipulated by children. In short, there is a large amount and variety of plastic containers.

Figure 1: Consumption of plastic materials for packaging and packaging in Spain sector. Source: Cicloplast, Anapla and TLP-Consulting.

Objectives for the December 31, 2008

It exploited or incinerated at waste incineration plants with energy recovery at least 60% by weight of packaging waste.

It is recycled from a minimum of 55% to a maximum of 80% by weight of packaging waste.

The following minimum objectives of recycling of the materials contained in packaging waste will be attained:

60% In weight of glass
60% By weight for paper and cardboard
50% By weight of metals
22.5% By weight for plastics, counting exclusively material that becomes to transform plastic
15% By weight for wood

Once finished his life useful, the packaging becomes waste, therefore, the evolution of plastic packaging waste follows a parallel evolution of the own sector, even more so given that this industry has a short life cycle.

The growth of the packaging waste and the need for adequate management have been reflected in numerous studies, projects and in the legislation itself, at both European as national or regional level. Directive 94/62/EC, which established the need to reduce the packaging waste and to increase the management thereof, establishing a series of recovery for the same goals was published already in 1994.

Figure 2: Prioritisation of waste management scheme.

The recycled mechanical in Spain has been important progress in recent years, standing at the line of all European countries

These objectives were revised and augmented later, being reflected in Directive 2004/12/EC. Although these are the current objectives, the trend is that they will continue to grow the demands of recovery and that achieving increasingly higher values.

We must remember that there are different types of evaluation: biomethanisation, composting, recycling mechanic, chemical recycling and incineration with energy recovery. These possibilities are complementary and each time should be considered is the most appropriate.

It must be borne in mind that the recycled mechanical in Spain has been important progress in recent years, standing at the line of all European countries, however, with regard to chemical recycling and energy recovery-generalSpain is below the European average.

Figure 3: Management of waste plastics in Europe, in 2008. Source: Cicloplast, Anapla and TLP Consulting.

It should not be forgotten that the recovery is a job at end of line, i.e., is performed when the package has already become a waste. But we need to continue working in the design of the product to improve the recovery, working with materials and designs recyclable, compostable, with substances the most harmless possible to facilitate the subsequent recovery, not to mention concentrated in own optimization of packaging and on the concept of reusable packaging.