Valuing Recovered Plastics

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Valuing Recovered Plastics

• Dr Ian Garner
• WRAP Northern Ireland Manager

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Outline

• Introduction to WRAP
• Valuing Plastics Context
• Plastics in Packaging
• Current and future work areas
• Waste Minimisation
• Collection
• Recycling and Reprocessing
• Market Demand

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Introduction to WRAP

• WRAP helps individuals, businesses and local
  authorities to reduce waste and recycle more,
  making better use of resources and helping to
  tackle climate change
• Specifically
• Minimising household waste (e.g. food and
  packaging)
• Promotion of consumer recycling
• Increasing collections of recyclate
• Increasing recycling infrastructure
• Creating markets for recyclate

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NI Waste Strategy 2006-2020

• Recycling and Composting of Household Wastes to
  be at
• 35 by 2010
• 40 by 2015
• 45 by 2020
• 60 of Commercial and Industrial Waste to be
  recycled by 2010
• NI Programme for Government
• reduce the carbon footprint by at least 25 by
  2025

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Why tackle plastic packaging?

• UK Plastics consumption ca 5M tonnes/annum
• 2M tonnes is Plastic Packaging
• 0.5M tonnes commercial and industrial
• 1.5M tonnes domestic
• 10.5 Mt/y obligated packaging
• Consumers want less packaging
• Significant greenhouse gas emission savings
  possible
• Less waste to landfill

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Packaging
Packaging and retail supply chains, local
authorities, waste management companies,
reprocessors, regulatory authorities, compliance
schemes, consumers
Target Audience


Courtauld Commitment Packaging
optimisation Research and innovation Tools and
resources Supply chain opt (with Envirowise)
New technology UK reprocessing
Infrastructure Improving operation and
efficiencies of MRFs
Recyclability of packaging Building demand
for Recycled Content
LGS Programme Direct LA support on plastic
bottle Collection Mixed plastics
Collections
Recycling Reprocessors
Waste Min
Market Demand
Targets
595kty diverted from landfill 1.2Mt CO2
savings (per year at end of 3 year plan)
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Waste Minimisation Strategy

• Strategic Commitment
• Embed in Business Strategy
• Underpin change
• Focus on high volume products iconic products
• Stimulate innovation

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Courtauld Commitment

• The signatories commit to supporting WRAP in the
  achievement of its objectives, as follows
• To design out packaging waste growth by 2008
• To deliver absolute reductions in packaging
  waste by 2010
• To identify ways to tackle the problem of food
  waste
• Signatories represent over 90 of the UK grocery
  market
• July 2005 - Grocery retailer signatories
• November 2006 onwards - Brand signatories

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Format Change Same quantity of soup in a third
of the material. Pouch is the premium product
15g
49g
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Reuse is even better
Project Sofa Returnable packaging Packaging is
successful Logistics are key Application
elsewhere SRP?
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Packaging
Packaging and retail supply chains, local
authorities, waste management companies,
reprocessors, regulatory authorities, compliance
schemes, consumers
Target Audience
Courtauld Commitment Packaging
optimisation Research and innovation Tools and
resources Supply chain opt (with Envirowise)
Recyclability of packaging Building demand
for RC
New technology UK reprocessing
Infrastructure Improving operation and
efficiencies of MRFs
LGS Programme Direct LA support on plastic
bottle and glass collection Mixed plastics


Collections
Recycling Reprocessors
Waste Min
Market Demand
Targets
595kty diverted from landfill 1.2Mt CO2
savings (per year at end of 3 year plan)
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Market Knowledge Situation Reports
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Plastics in the Household Waste Stream
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How is the UK performing with plastic bottle
recycling?
2007 rate - 180,000 tonnes/ann
5,000,000,000 bottles
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Primary Packaging by materials units
Mixed Plastics Collection planned for 2008-11
Units (Million)
Source Datamonitor Jan 2004
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Packaging
Packaging and retail supply chains, local
authorities, waste management companies,
reprocessors, regulatory authorities, compliance
schemes, consumers
Target Audience
LGS Programme Direct LA support on plastic
bottle and glass collection Mixed plastics
Courtauld Commitment Packaging
optimisation Research and innovation Tools and
resources Supply chain opt (with Envirowise)
Recyclability of packaging Building demand
for RC
New technology UK reprocessing
Infrastructure Improving operation and
efficiencies of MRFs


Collections
Recycling Reprocessors
Waste Min
Market Demand
Targets
595kty diverted from landfill 1.2Mt CO2
savings (per year at end of 3 year plan)
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Stimulating demand for recycled content rPET
and rHDPE trials and commercialisation
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Emerging packaging loopUK reprocessing
infrastructure
Virgin polymer supply
Packaging production
Product use disposal
Food grade material
Reprocessing Export UK
fibre, strapping, packaging, other
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Waste Management
Landfill or incineration
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Sorters NRT Mikrosort MSS Rofin RTT SS Satake
Titech Unisensor
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Washing, flake sorting and extrusion
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Who is going to reprocess all these polymers?
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Positive Impact..

• Recycling 1 tonne of Plastic bottles saves
• 1-1.5 tonnes of CO2
• (vs landfill or incineration)

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Mixed Plastics Project

• On-going
• Mixed Plastics Assessment technical, economic,
  environmental
• Collection data
• Coming up
• Large scale demonstration trial
• Best practice local authority collections
• Support new infrastructure
• 40,000 Tonnes/annum Mixed Plastics Capacity by
  2011

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LCA
Net global warming potential (after avoided
impacts have been considered)
A Landfill BIncineration (EFW) CSolid
Recovered Fuel (SRF in Cement kiln) DPyrolysis
(gas cracking) EPyrolysis (to Diesel) F Redox
agent in blast furnace G-M Mechanical recycling
Alternative Options
Mechanical Recycling
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Packaging
Packaging and retail supply chains, local
authorities, waste management companies,
reprocessors, regulatory authorities, compliance
schemes, consumers
Target Audience
New technology UK reprocessing
Infrastructure Improving operation and
efficiencies of MRFs
LGS Programme Direct LA support on plastic
bottle and glass collection Mixed plastics
Courtauld Commitment Packaging
optimisation Research and innovation Tools and
resources Supply chain opt (with Envirowise)
Recyclability of packaging Building demand
for RC


Collections
Recycling Reprocessors
Waste Min
Market Demand
Targets
595kty diverted from landfill 1.2Mt CO2
savings (per year at end of 3 year plan)
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On-Pack Labelling helping consumers recycle more
Proposed to have three tiers of labels for
packaging Category 1 - those which can be
easily recycled, i.e. collected by a significant
majority of Local Authorities (more than
65) Category 2 - those which might be
collected by a significant minority of Local
Authorities, so requiring customers to check
locally first (20-65) Category 3 - those which
are collected by only a small number of or no
Local Authorities (less than 20).
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Plastics bottles
HDPE

PET
PP
PVC
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Update Courtauld Commitment

• Extend waste reduction targets
• Incorporate recycled content
• Include food waste objectives
• Include CI waste reduction?
• Include GHG emission reduction targets?

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Packaging
Packaging and retail supply chains, local
authorities, waste management companies,
reprocessors, regulatory authorities, compliance
schemes, consumers
Target Audience


Courtauld Commitment Packaging
optimisation Research and innovation Tools and
resources Supply chain opt (with Envirowise)
New technology UK reprocessing
Infrastructure Improving operation and
efficiencies of MRFs
Recyclability of packaging Building demand
for RC
LGS Programme Direct LA support on plastic
bottle and glass collection Mixed plastics
Collections
Recycling Reprocessors
Waste Min
Market Demand
Targets
595kty diverted from landfill 1.2Mt CO2
savings (per year at end of 3 year plan)
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• www.wrap.org.uk
• 02890 511519
• ian.garner_at_wrap.org.uk