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Europe’s plastic recycling capacity records 17% growth

Plastic Recyclers Europe (PRE) has highlighted that the installed plastic recycling capacity in Europe, including the UK, grew by 17% in 2021. The capacity growth was boosted by an estimated £1.56 billion worth of investments, the organisation added.

PRE said that the plastic recycling capacity in Europe grew due to legislation-backed investment (picture: Shutterstock)

The investment and subsequent growth was prompted by “increased advancements in legislation”, stemming from the implementation of the European Union’s Plastics Strategy and the Single-Use Plastics Directive, according to PRE’s president Tom Emans.

The organisation, which represents the voices of European plastic recyclers, outlined that the plastics recycling capacity on the Continent and the UK now stands at 11.3 million tonnes annually. This is spread across more than 730 facilities, PRE said.

The countries with the highest number of plants are Germany, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom and France, PRE continued, accounting for two thirds of the total market. The association also noted growth in Poland and the Netherlands.

Legislative framework

PRE noted that despite the recent challenges that the industry has faced, the recyclers’ commitment to transition to a circular economy for plastics “remains strong”. This included the impact of high energy costs where some plastic recycling operations in Europe had to be suspended last year (see letsrecycle.com story).

Reiterating the importance of legislative framework and its thorough implementation in contributing to the demand for recycled materials, PRE said that this is to be further accelerated by a newly released proposal for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation. Like the extended producer responsibility for packaging in the UK, the framework calls for an EU-wide assessment scheme for design for recycling and sets specific recycled content targets.

Polymers

The association explained that in terms of the polymers split, more than three quarters of the total share is covered by flexible PE & PP, PET and rigid PE & PP. It noted that these were the streams that showed the highest increase compared to 2020.

When it comes to rigid polyolefins, nearly half of the recycling capacity is dedicated to the household stream, PRE stated. Flexible PE & PP capacity split in half between household and commercial waste, it added.

‘Resilience’

Commenting on the development, Mr Emans said: “In recent years, European plastics recyclers have experienced many challenges. However, with the increased advancements in legislation, the recycling industry has weathered the crisis showing its resilience to external factors.”

“The positive growth we can observe today will shape and further strengthen the market for recycled plastics towards meeting the EU targets,” he concluded.

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