Page 76 - Plastics News July 2024

PRODUCT NEWS

tioned to see increased investments in thermoform Clean Wash Flake” (TCWF) initiative that includes
recycling. mass balance accounting and monthly check-ins

Recycle-Ready Clamshells with suppliers. Future work will include evaluation of
pads and glues (used in some berry baskets), digital
In the late 1860s, farmers in California’s Parajo Val- watermarking, and continued collaboration with the
ley grew the first commercial strawberries. By the larger berry industry.
1940s, that exceptional part of the world was a hub Testing for FDA Approval
of fruit growers and agricultural experts, researching
and developing techniques to breed new varietals The FDA prominently features contaminant test-
of strawberries. Driscoll’s was growing and shipping ing in its rules because people often reuse plastic
California strawberries across the country by 1950. containers for unintended purposes. For example,
Today, the company is at the vanguard of a new they might store automotive chemicals, pesticides,
commitment to use ‘recycle-ready’ PET clamshells or paints in these containers before they enter the
by 2025. What this means in practice is reducing the recycling stream. Consequently, the FDA provides
barriers to collection, separation, and re-processing specific recommendations focused on removing
of PET berry baskets. Camille Herrera, packaging contaminants based on testing that simulates con-
development and sustainability manager, explained sumer behavior. This testing deliberately exposes
the company’s strategy during another session. plastics to contamination. Additionally, some pack-
Specifically, by switching from traditional paper la- ages, such as berry baskets or egg containers, rep-
bels and adhesives to biaxially-oriented polypro- resent very low migration risk as they protect “dry
pylene (BOPP) labels with water-soluble adhesives, goods.” Therefore, for processors seeking to enter
reclaimers can float/sink PP and PET to effectively the recycling market, identifying these sources of
separate materials. This approach has been codified material will reduce the regulatory process for con-
in the Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR) Design tamination testing.
Guides. Beyond PET: Sorting Technologies for PP
Consumer Behaviour as a Driver
Although billed as PET-centric, the event’s final
speaker, Dr. Edward Kosior, focused on polypropyl-
ene technology. Dr. Kosior has pioneered NIR tech-
nology using fluorescent light markers to detect
black plastics in the recycling stream. The PRISM
sorting system used a consortium approach over six
years with academic and industry groups for high-
speed material separation.

Now, Kosior is launching a new consortium called
Nextloopp to apply PRISM technology to polypro-
pylene (PP), with low recycling rates. With projected
virgin growth of 50 percent over the next five years,
Many sustainability managers attest that consumer available PP for recycling seems limitless. Given the
behavior heavily influences recycling. Outreach and heavy use of PP in household chemical products,
education are key elements in changing behavior, separating food from non-food containers is criti-
and the How2Recycle logo program accelerates this cal. Because PRISM can distinguish between food
shift. By clearly stating that PET clamshells can be and non-food containers, unlocking a stream for
properly discarded, reclaimers can more success- food-contact PP applications is possible. Currently,
fully recover clean material. On the demand side, only PP food packaging can be used for future rPP
Driscoll’s has also committed to using 10 percent re- food applications in the European Union. Comple-
cycled content from recovered clamshells by January menting PRISM, Nextek’s PPristine decontamination
2021. They are doing this through a “Thermoform technology will enable a clean stream of rPP.

78 PLASTICS NEWS July 2024