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Extrusion International 4/2016
RECYCLING
Plenty of potential for
recycling
Technologically, plastics recycling is not a problem at all today. In-house recycling has now
becomeestablishedright across industry. Forplasticsprocessorswhoworkwithpure-grade raw
materials, the waste-free factory has become commonplace. And for post-consumer wastes,
there are increasingly mature reutilisation strategies, enabling the regranulate produced with
them to substitute virgin material without problem. In the last few years particularly, there
has been fast-growing demand for recompounds, pigmented and/or reinforced granulates
produced entirely from residues. All the same, the industry still has a number of hurdles to
take and problems to solve. Profitability, optimised collection strategies, political targets,
consumer interests and education, and the design of recyclable plastics products are just some
of the core themes.
Roughly 125,000 tonnes of PVC wastes,
including window profiles, are recycled
each year in Europe. The regenerated
material can be used without difficulty
for the production of articles for the
construction sector such as profiles and
pipes. Image: Rewindo