Page 39 - Platics News June 2022

Efsa Approves 28 Rpet Applications To Recycle Scrap Plastics Australia Reduces Plastics
Litter On Beaches By 29 Per
Cent Over Six Years

lastic rubbish on Australia’s
Pbeaches has declined by 29
per cent over six years thanks to a
range of local council initiatives.
“It’s surprising and really hearten-
E (EFSA) has approved 28 applica- from post-consumer food and drink ing to see this change in a short pe-
uropean Food Safety Authority washed and dried PET akes derived
tions to recycle scrap plastics, mostly containers collected curbside and via riod of time,” says Denise Hardesty
PET, into food and drink packaging deposit systems. e CEP approvals al- at CSIRO, Australia’s national sci-
and utensils. It rejected one applica- low the RPET produced to be used in ence research body, who surveyed
tion, saying the submission lacked nec- 100% recycled-content food and drink 183 beaches around Australia with
several colleagues. ey found 29
essary data and had unresolved incon- packaging for long-term, room-tem-
sistencies. Of the 29 applications, 26 perature storage, with or without using per cent less plastic litter on average
were to recycle PET using technologies the hot- ll process. e panel approved when they surveyed the beaches in
developed by Erema, NGR, Polym- four applications to use the Erema Ba- 2019 compared with their previous
etrix, Starlinger and others. e other sic technology. e CEP approved ap- survey in 2013. Some areas had even
more impressive results, reducing the
three sought to recycle a number of dif- plications from AN YA PLASTICS
ferent polymers found in speci c scrap Corporation of Taiwan, INTCO MA- amount of plastic rubbish by up to
streams, including HDPE bottle caps. LAYSIA SDN BHD of Malaysia, Zibo 73 per cent. A minority went in the
e decisions were made by the Panel Containers of South Africa and Utsumi other direction, though, and had up
on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes recycle Systems of Japan. CEP gave a to 93 per cent more litter. e beach-
es with the biggest reductions were
and Processing Aids (CEP), which thumbs-up to applications from PET
is part of the EFSA. e food-safety Verpackungen Deutschland of Ger- in areas where local councils had
panel approved applications from In- many, RCS Plastics of Germany, ROX- put in place certain initiatives. ese
dorama Ventures, Veolia, Coca-Cola ANE NORD (ROXPET CENTRE) of included installing more bins, put-
Hellenic, NOVAPET and other plastic France, World PET Plastic Recycling ting up signs to remind people not
to litter, setting up hotlines to allow
reclaimers to recycle PET in new food of Portugal and Société Générale de
and drink packaging. In the European Recyclage (SGR) of France. e CEP, reporting of illegal dumping, pro-
Union, recycled plastics and additives earlier on March 24, 2022, approved viding di erent bins for households
can only be used in food and bever- four proposals to use NGR technology to sort their waste, having schemes
age packaging if they’re rst reviewed to produce RPET for food and bever- to pay people for handing in plastic
bottles for recycling and organising
by the EFSA for safety. In the PET re- age packaging.
cycling processes below, the inputs are community clean-up activities.

39 PLASTICS NEWS June 2022