A plastics recycling target of 62% for all of Europe is a realistic goal which can be achieved by 2020 according to a recently released study by Plastics Recyclers Europe (PRE, Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticsrecyclers.eu). The findings show that a higher recycling rate creates benefits for the European Union environment, economy and resource efficiency. The study, undertaken on behalf of Paris-based consultancy Bio Intelligence Service (www.biois.com) aims to put forward the most suitable scenario to further improve the sustainability of plastics via recycling in Europe through 2020. "Enhancing plastics recycling will save scarce resources, create jobs and reduce environmental impact,” noted Ton Emans, PRE president, adding, “the current plastics recycling situation is no longer acceptable."

In the long run, economic growth, demographic changes and growing scarcity of raw materials simply will not allow Europe "the luxury of wasting 76% of all plastic materials used", Emans argued. Urgent measures are needed to bring up the plastics recycling rates. The study proposes crucial measures, the "Vision for Resource Efficiency", which can help achieve the 2020 target:

• Efficiently use all plastic waste generated by putting 11m t of plastics recyclate on the market;
• Divert more than 24m t of plastic waste from landfill;
• Recover energy from 7.5m t of residual waste;
• Create around 360,000 jobs (with 120,000 directly employed by recyclers);
• Save more than EUR 4.5 bn (by substitution for virgin plastics);
• Avoid emissions of more than 26m t CO2

At this year's annual "Plastics Recyclers Europe" meeting, 21-22 November in Amsterdam, the first day's agenda is primarily filled with PRE workgroup meetings. The second day's agenda is a conference focusing on how plastics recycling can contribute to EU green growth – see Plasteurope.com of 07.08.2013.

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"Study on increased mechanical recycling target for plastics" (August 2013 ) as PDF