Page 54 - Plastics News June 2024

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Companies in Europe and North
America are also focusing on selling
refurbished turbines and components.
Beyond reuse, repurposing involves
using parts of the blade for different
applications, usually of lower value,
such as playgrounds, street furniture,
and structural components for build-
ings. However, these repurposing ef-
forts are currently demonstration pro-
jects and not yet scalable solutions for
the anticipated future volumes of blade
waste.

Source - Plastics Engineering

Blade repurposing: Bike shed in Aalborg, Denmark. Courtesy of Accelerating
Wind Turbine Blade Circularity – 2020.

Greater measurement for better management

Stina Inc. collects data at materials and actions, along with Based on the 2018 Advancing Sus-
a critical step in the plastic benchmarking data throughout the tainable Materials: Facts and Figures
recycling value chain—from value chain, is needed to deliver the Report (Facts and Figures), EPA re-
recyclers. These are compa- insights for businesses and people to ported generation of plastic materi-
nies that purchase and process scrap make continuous improvement and als in three main categories: Durable
plastic into feedstock for remanufac- better choices to protect resources. Goods (38%), Non-Durable Goods
turing. They are the engines of the re- Measuring where we are is essential (21%), and Containers and Packag-
cycling economy. While not the whole if we are to implement strategies that ing (41%), which are important dis-
story, the data collected at this point support the recycling economy and tinctions for deployment of solutions.
in the value chains gives us an aggre- ultimately the emergence of a circular Another important distinction, and a
gated assessment of the total volumes economy. challenge related to available data, is a
of material recovered for recycling and Materials like paper, metal, glass and clear understanding of the amount of
acquired by markets for processing. material generated from residential (or
plastics have vastly different meth-
Measuring plastics relative to other ods to measure what’s generated and individual use) versus commercial use.
what’s recycled. All materials face gaps Consistent, Transparent Data Report-
in information available to fully capture ing
how much gets generated and is avail- Stina Inc. surveys recyclers (plastic
able for recycling. In addition to pro- reclaimers), exporters and other key
duction of goods in the United States, players in the value chain to gather data
there is a significant amount of mate- on the pounds recovered for recycling.
rial entering and exiting the country Once various items are collected (e.g.,
on trucks, ships and planes carrying through curbside programs, drop off
unfinished and finished goods and not or sourced-separated by businesses)
everything produced and imported is and consolidated for market, reclaim-
used and discarded in that given year.
ers or exporters (who sell to reclaim-

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June 2024