TABLE OF CONTENTS Plastic production accounts for about 4% of total oil consumption. Whilst this is not a vast percentage, it still represents a significant potential energy resource saving if plastics can be recovered. However, the main driver for plastics recycling is not energy recovery but landfill avoidance.
The majority of plastics waste is produced by the packaging sector as shown in Table 10.1. It is therefore not surprising that packaging has been targeted as the prime area for material recovery.
| Sector | Plastic consumption (%) |
|---|---|
| Packaging | 41 |
| Building/construction | 19 |
| Household | 18 |
| Electrical/electronics | 8 |
| Automotive | 7 |
| Other | 7 |
Currently, in Western Europe, only about 30% of post consumer plastic waste is recovered in the form of materials or energy. The remaining 70% is disposed of as landfill. A breakdown of recovery routes is shown in Figure 10.1. Statistics on the volumes of material being recycled are often difficult to obtain, however, reliable information must be available if recycling targets are to be monitored. As recycling systems and infrastructures develop, the reporting systems and quantitative data required should be easier to obtain in future. From the data that is available, in house recycling accounts for some 1.5 ktonnes, traded industrial scrap recyclate at 1.1 ktonnes and post consumer waste mechanical recycling at 1.8 ktonnes. Therefore total mechanical plastic recycling in Europe is estimated as being in excess of...
