Sustainable Plastics - May/June 2021 - 15

opinion
8% gets recycled. The Balkans
has trash islands surfacing and
vast swathes of the US still
suff ers a paucity of recycling
mechanisms.
Even those countries that
boast a strong recycling culture,
such as the UK, are still hampered
by disparate recycling
schemes across the nation. Policy
makers are often misguided
and information relating to best
practices is frequently misleading
and ill-researched.
What is needed is a global
shift driven by a strong set of
guiding practices to start harmonising
the re-cycling ecosystems
across entire countries,
not just sporadically.
We also need everyone to be
genuinely on board - and this
starts with the major brands.
Building the kind of green
economy the BPF envisions
requires both simple and cutting
edge technology to unlock
the potential built into plastics
materials. Exploring unrealistic
solutions such as a paper bottle
for carbonated beverages boils
down to corporate greenwashThe
British Plastics
Federation (BPF)
has published its
Recycling Roadmap
for 2030.
why we don't want to add categories
to the recycling stream.
It will also require organisations
to have end-of-life strategies
for the plastics they put
onto the market which will mean
the introduction of new technology
and deliberate design for
circular economy recycling.
Government legislation is
also stepping in, and we need
to continue driving forward, regardless
of the current tougher
economic situation or the fact
that we are going to overshoot
our 2025 climate change target
It is time to ramp everything up
and face the facts.
As Phillip Law, Director Gening
that wastes precious time
and resources and leads to an
obvious dead end whilst confusing
much of the public.
A far more eff ective scenario
is to focus single-mindedly
on creating a circular economy
that is commercially viable
and that directly solves our
growing post-consumer plastic
waste crisis.
According to the BPF's report,
if all plastic were recycled
globally this could result
in mean annual savings of 30
to 150 million tonnes of CO2,
equivalent to shutting between
8 and 40 coal-fired power
plants globally.
The good news is that this is
achievable. Of course, it will require
closing the loop on plastics
of all types, not just bottles, but
especially the-awkward-to recycle
plastics such as films, pots,
tubs and trays. Another reason
eral at the BPF, points out there
is (huge) scope for innovation in
product design, collection, sorting,
mechanical and chemical
recycling. He is referring to the
kind of innovation that strives to
resolve our current challenges
rather than pander to consumers'
appetite for action.
So let's take a closer look
at our current roadblocks and
how innovative thinking is
continued on page 16
WE DRIVE THE
CIRCULAR ECONOMY.
ShowHello!
VISIT OUR
virtual showroom
Whether it is inhouse, postconsumer
or bottle recycling:
you can only close loops in a
precise and profi table way if
machines are perfectly tuned
for the respective application.
Count on the number 1
technology from EREMA
when doing so: over 6000
of our machines and systems
produce around 14.5 million
tonnes of high-quality pellets
like this every year -
in a highly effi cient and
energy-saving way.
CHOOSE THE NUMBER ONE.
SP 1/2 H.indd 1
6/14/21 12:29 PM
May/June 2021
15
https://www.erema.com/
Sustainable Plastics - May/June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Plastics - May/June 2021
