Page 33 - Plastics News April 2022

said, “By launching and implementing plement the policy, EAD has organised
the integrated single-use plastic policy, clean-up events and campaigns encour- Erema to Build New R &
EAD seeks to continue the legacy of the aging community members to help D Center for Innovative
late Sheikh Zayed, whose deep passion protect the environment while educat- Recycling Technologies
for preserving the environment inspires ing people on the damage caused by
us in our sustainability journey. We are single-use plastics and litter, the state-
extremely eager to continue on our path ment added. The agency is also target-
of reducing the consumption of single- ing private sector companies, equipping
use plastics in Abu Dhabi.” “As part of them with tools to plan for the policy’s
our plan to completely curb the use of implementation.EAD is also conduct-
single-use plastics, we are encouraging ing a study for the introduction of an
Abu Dhabi citizens to use more mul- incentive-based, single-use plastic water
tipurpose and re-usable materials to bottle return scheme in Abu Dhabi, in
reduce their environmental footprint. partnership with more than 30 private
Today, we are introducing a ban on and public entities. Earlier this year, ground-breaking ceremony for
single-use plastic bags in the capital in Dubai also approved a policy to impose A the construction of a new R&D
light of their harmful impacts on the a tariff of 25 fils on single-use bags for center for innovative recycling tech-
environment and biodiversity.” To im- carrying goods starting July 1, 2022. nologies was recently held by Erema
at its Ansfelden site. Two halls with a
total area of 16,684 sq.ft. and a new
AF&PA Issues Caution For New York Epr Proposal office building with 50 workplaces
will be built. The R&D center will
to advance paper recycling infrastruc- offer cross-departmental and cross-
ture. “We’d like to see more clarity company test machines and labora-
in the legislative language before they tory for research and development
kick it over to the regulatory process,” of plastics recycling technologies to
Webber says. “Ultimately, we’re asking further advance the circular economy.
policymakers to focus on improving re- Completion is scheduled for Febru-
cycling for materials with low recovery ary 2023. Markus Huber-Lindinger,
rates instead of creating mandates and managing director Erema Recycling
fees for paper producers that could di- Maschinen und Anlagen GesmbH
rect capital away from investing in re- said, "It makes a difference whether
he American Forestry and Paper cycling infrastructure.” Webber says clean production waste is recycled
TAssociation (AF&PA) says unin- EPR policies should be designed to and returned to the production pro-
tended consequences could affect exist- avoid disrupting paper recycling in- cess or whether printed and con-
ing paper / plastics recycling programs frastructure and not require one mate- taminated packaging materials col-
in the state if New York’s new extended rial to subsidize a competing material’s lected in yellow bags are recycled and
producer responsibility (EPR) proposal recycling infrastructure development. used to make food packaging again."
is adopted. The organization claims the Under the proposed EPR program, While some plastics processing loops,
proposal is a one-size-fits-all EPR pro- manufacturers will be responsible for such as for PET bottles, have already
gram that could undermine or even managing their products and packaging been closed, many other plastic waste
reverse the success of paper / plastic re- at the end of their useful lives—mean- streams still require a great deal of
cycling. The AF&PA says the proposal ing taxpayers wouldn’t pay for recycling R&D in cooperation with everyone
is too vague and would create uncer- anymore. Recently, the Association of involved in the value chain to pro-
tainty in the paper recycling industry. Plastic Recyclers (APR), Washington, duce recycled pellets that meet the
Terry Webber, AF&PA vice president endorsed the proposal, saying it would very highest standards for the produc-
of industry affairs, says the uncertainty incentivize producers to generate less tion of new products. More space will
can harm the industry because of the packaging overall and make the packag- be available for this in the new center.
amount of time and investment needed ing they do use nontoxic and easier to

33 PLASTICS NEWS April 2022