2. About WRAP
WRAP’s vision is a world without waste, where
resources are used sustainably.
We help businesses, individuals and
communities reap the benefits of reducing
waste, developing sustainable products and
using resources in an efficient way.
5. Plastics packaging loop
Collections
for re-use
Amount of waste plastic
in Europe expected to
increase from 25Mt in
2008 to >30Mt by
2015.
The traded volume of
waste across Europe
has risen from 2Mt in
2000 to 7.2Mt in 2011
Raw
material
extraction
Manufacturing
Retail or
service
Use
Collection
Recycling
Material
production
Re-use &
repair
8. UK plastic waste composition
Total UK Plastic Packaging Waste,
2009: ~ 2.5Mt
23%
19%
30%
28%
Household
Bottles
Household
Rigids
Household Films
Commercial &
Industrial
WRAP’ Plastics Market Situation Report, 2010
Packaging only
9. Packaging overview
Packaging has very important role:
Protection; shelf life; portion control
Why closed loop approach:
Mechanical recycling better than SRF.
Incineration worst option (LCA)
Food grade to food grade packaging adds
greatest value
Quality is key:
Sourcing – collections and bale quality
Demand – end market requirements
Sorting
Materials Recycling Facility or Plastics
Recycling Facility – viability & size
10. Life cycle analyses
Chart 5.2.1 – Net global warming potential
(after avoided impacts have been considered)
-1500
-1000
-500
0
500
1000
1500
2000
ScenarioA
ScenarioB
ScenarioC
ScenarioD
ScenarioE
ScenarioF
ScenarioG
ScenarioH
ScenarioI
ScenarioJ
ScenarioK
ScenarioL
ScenarioM
kgeq.carbondioxide/tonne
A= Landfill
B=Incineration (EFW)
C=Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF in Cement kiln)
D=Pyrolysis (gas cracking)
E=Pyrolysis (to Diesel)
F Redox agent in blast furnace
G-M = Mechanical recycling
Alternative Options Mechanical Recycling
11. Packaging - WRAP Approach
Packaging
reduction
& optimisation
Courtauld
Commitment
Developing new
technology
Building
reprocessing
infrastructure
Recyclability and
recycled content
Market
information
Waste
Minimisation
Collecting
& Sorting
Recycling &
Reprocessing
Market
Development
Support &
guidance on
waste collections
Improving MRF
operations
• Ensuring supply
of quality
material for
recycling
• Establishing the
capacity to sort,
recycle &
reprocess
• Supporting
recycling
enterprises
• Building
demand for &
confidence in
recycled
polymers
• Rightweighting
• Packaging
specs
• Recycled
content
• Consumer
information
12. Interventions
Sectoral approaches
Dairy roadmap sets vision and
direction for recycled content
(HDPE)with targets
Voluntary commitments set targets
for reduction, generate demand for
RC, improve design & performance
and change behaviour across
supply change
Consumer campaigns encourage
recycling, e.g. on-pack labelling
and food waste reduction
13. Closing the loop from waste to food contact
Recycling of plastic bottles
14. Addressing barriers
Technical
IR detection of polymers and colours
Tinted caps, inks and labels
Carbon black prevents near infrared
sorters identifying polymer types… New
pigments enable NIR sorting
Food PP process development
Encouraging infrastructure
development
Technical R&D
Levering JVs
Grants and loans
15. HDPE – closed loop recycling
WRAP led R&D food grade process development
Partnership with dairies, bottle blowers, retailers
Feasibility study, and large scale trial
Capital support competition (de-risk investment)
Now fresh milk sold in plastics bottles in the UK has
10% recycled content (unique in world).
This will increase to:
30% by 2015 and
50% by 2020
(Defra Milk Roadmap)
16. PET
HDPE
Food grade rPET pellet to
bottles and washed flake into
sheet.
Food grade rHDPE pellet. All
new milk bottles have at least
10% rHDPE. 30% by 2015
UK PET & HDPE facilities
17. Products
SRF, etc
Mixed plastic film vision
Front of store collection –
facilitated by OPRL
MRF
Front of
store
Kerbside
sort
PRF Reprocessor
Polymer/colour
sorting
Improve sorting technologies to
efficiently and sustainably treat
mixed film
bring
Residue
19. Biffa Polymers mixed plastics plant
£1.2m Capital Grant from
WRAP – Open in 2011
First one specifically targeting
non-bottle rigid plastic
packaging waste (pots,
tubs, trays).
Sorted by polymer and colour
(clear/natural and coloured).
Reprocessed to a hot washed
flake.
Can be used to manufacture
new plastic items with a
recycled content.
See a film of the plant in action at:
http://www.wrap.org.uk/recycling_industry/information_by_material/plastics/new_mixed_plastics.html
20. Black plastic
Carbon black prevents near infrared
sorters identifying polymer types:
New pigments enable optical sorting
WRAP carried out 3 phases of work
with key supply chain partners to:
Develop packaging with black
colourants that enable the packs to be
optically sorted.
Address technical barriers to
implementation
Optical sorting works- commercial
scale trials
End markets available (fibre, sheet for
new trays)
http://www.wrap.org.uk/content
/recyclability-black-plastic-
packaging-0
21. Food grade rPP demand
• Around 50% PP demand in Europe is for packaging
• Virgin PP - packaging manufacturers are always
supplied with food grade PP even for non food
packaging.
• Sites manufacturing food and non-food packaging
would only use food grade rPP because:
o will not risk accidental use of non food rPP on food
products.
o simplifies inventories and therefore minimises cost.
• Therefore most packaging using rPP would need food
approved material.
22. Laser diffraction food pack sorting
Diffraction grating marked
on/moulded in surface of
package or label
Lab trials shown that regular
patterns of interference can be
detected by a camera.
Marker gets re-set when pack
recycled.
23. Developing end markets
Need non-food applications too:
Food grade rPP still >2 yrs away.
30-50% rPP can’t go into food anyway -
was not previously used with food.
PP, PET, HDPE and PS
Can go to other packaging and products
