Western Europe: Increasing recovery of plastics waste

PlasticsEurope (www.plasticseurope.org) shortly published a study „Plastics in Europe – An analysis of plastics consumption and recovery in Europe“ (Published Summer 2004). Therefore the total plastics consumption, including virgin polymers and recycled granulate, continued to increase, rising 5.6 per cent between 2001 and 2003. The main growth occurred between 2001 and 2002 (+3.7 per cent), compared to 1.9 per cent growth between 2002 and 2003.

Per capita consumption of virgin plastics in Western Europe rose to 96.6 kilograms in 2002, increasing to 98.1 kilograms by 2003.

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Mechanical recycling of plastics waste increased by 11.3 per cent in tonnage terms between 2001 and 2002, with a similar increase in 2002, maintaining the mechanical recycling rate of about 14 per cent in 2003.

Energy was recovered from 4 678 000 tonnes of plastics waste in 2002, an increase of 2.1 per cent on 2001 figures which represents 23 per cent of the recovery of total collectable plastics waste. This increase was due to a growth in energy recovery capacity expansions and new plants.

Overall, increased recovery meant that the amount of plastics going to landfill only increased slightly between 2001 and 2003 and is effectively being decoupled from the growth in consumption and associated waste generation. Volumes sent to landfill in Western Europe in 2003 are estimated to be at the same level as in 1993.

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PlasticsEurope Deutschland e. V., Brussels/Belgium