Open the document The overarching problem of climate change and the future shortage of fossil resources has accelerated the search for better concepts for plastics packaging. Approaches to reuse and recycle plastics in closed loops need to be developed, while making an efficient use of resources at all times. With the corresponding demands [...]
Open the document Biodegradable and compostable products that are certified according to the harmonized European standard EN 13432 (or EN 14995) are suitable for organic recycling and will completely biodegrade in an industrial composting plant, with no adverse effects on the process or on the final product (compost). These materials are working well [...]
Open the document Bioplastics are not one single material but a large family of plastic materials, most of them very new innovative materials, with different properties and functionalities. Such grade of variety and complexity is not always easy to explain. In terms of the circular economy, the standards mentioned in this paper offer [...]
Open the document Chemical recycling has gained increased attention as a promising recovery technology, especially for post-consumer plastic waste. It is seen as a complementary solution to mechanical recycling, being better suited for difficult to recycle plastics like multi-layer solutions or heavily contaminated plastics. Yet, its availability at commercial scale is currently still [...]
Open the document The Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWD) was first issued in 1994. Its main purpose was to increase the recovery rate of packaging waste and to cut disposal (landfilling). Apart from mechanical recycling also biological (organic) recycling was defined, and a specific standard for identifying "packaging recoverable by means [...]
Open the document Mechanical Recycling is currently the dominant recycling technique for post-consumer plastic packaging waste. Sorting and reprocessing technologies are available in most EU Member States with varying levels of recycling quotas. EU waste legislation requires binding recycling targets in the future. Recycling biobased plastics increases the fossil carbon reduction potential by [...]
Open the document Anaerobic digestion is a process in which organic matter is degraded by a microbial population of bacteria in the absence of oxygen. This process produces methane and carbon dioxide (biogas) and compost . During the process, no heat is being released. The resulting biogas can be treated in a Combined Heat [...]
Open the document In the EU waste hierarchy, disposal (i.e. landfill and similar operations) ranks as the least preferable way of waste management. Read this paper and learn about: Description of technology Current distribution Legal and political framework Interactions between bioplastics and landfilling
Open the document Bioplastics are a broad family of materials that are either biobased, biodegradable, or both. The term “biobased” describes the basis of a material being fully or partly derived from biomass. The term “biodegradable” refers to the inherent property of a material that, with the help of naturally occurring microorganisms such [...]
Find out how to ensure the best results in terms of performance of soil-biodegradable mulch films.
