Page 35 - Plastics News November 2020

Western Australia to ban SUP with phasing out Gruppo Hera part of new plastic recycling effort
to start within three years in Italy

estern Australia (WA) will start banning single- he Aliplast subsidiary of Bologna, Italy-based
Wuse plastics within three years. The State Tutilities and environmental services firm Gruppo
Government will ban plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers, Hera says it has signed a “strategic agreement” with
the NextChem subsidiary of the Maire Tecnimont Group
polystyrene food containers, thick plastic bags, and
to build a new plastics recycling plant. The new facility
the release of helium balloons by 2023. Other single-
will use “proprietary innovative technology” called
use plastic items like produce bags, microbeads and
MyReplast to recycle plastic scrap into what the firms
cotton buds will be phased out by 2026. Environment
call high-value-added polymers. According to the two
Minister Stephen Dawson says only 11 per cent of
companies, the plant will be able to produce up to
Australia's plastic is recycled and the rest ends up in
30,000 tons metric tons per year of recycled-content
polymers. NextChem will provide technology and
engineering, procurement and construction services
while Aliplast will collect plastic scrap and engage in
initial processing steps with the material. According to
Gruppo Hera, Aliplast currently operates plants in
France, Spain and Poland and “is a leader in the
production of flexible film of polyethylene (PE) and
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheet, with 90,000
tons per year of finished products and regenerated
polymers, and over 90 percent recovery/recycling in
terms of volumes.” The companies say the partnership
with NextChem will allow Aliplast to “exploit recycling

landfill. “The time to act is now; plastic pollution is one
of the greatest threats to wildlife around the world,”
he said in a statement. “Reducing our dependence on
single-use plastics will help reduce our impact on the
environment, waste streams and human health.” The
Minister said the State Government also planned to
tweak laws to ban plastic election signs. Mr Dawson
said some single-use items like straws are needed by
people living with disabilities and they will be widely
consulted. “I am committed to ensuring that the needs
of people with disability, those with health conditions and compounding opportunities in order to expand into
and others who rely on certain single-use plastic items the sector of rigid plastics, like polypropylene (PP),
high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and acrylonitrile
are met,” he said. WWF policy manager Katinka Day
butadiene styrene (ABS). Aliplast describes those
commended the plan, saying WA was leading the way in
materials as “difficult to recycle effectively with
phasing out plastic products that pollute the
mechanical processes.” “This partnership is necessary
environment. “Plastic plates and utensils are often
to combine excellence and strengths of players that can
discarded after a single-use, ending up in landfill or
make a difference in the energy transition towards a
polluting our environment for hundreds of years,” she
more sustainable development model, which has been
said in a statement. Ms Day also called on the
Hera Group's goal for several years across all business
Government to introduce the legislation next year lines,” says Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano, executive
rather than waiting till 2023. She said it was important chairman of Hera Group.
to turn momentum into more immediate action.

NOVEMBER 2020 35 Plastics News