Axion Consulting, a UK-based waste processing consultancy specialising in plastics recycling, says it is now technically feasible and economically viable to begin the large-scale collection of low-grade plastic films for conversion into fuels and other recycled products.
Speaking in early March 2014 at the 12th European Gasification Conference – organised by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) in The Netherlands – Sam Haig, IChemE member and senior engineer at Axion Consulting described a “new generation” of machinery that uses a flow of air to help detect and remove around 95% of films from co-mingled kerbside waste collections, according to figures from WRAP.
“The process is likely to be more economical and efficient than current machine-based and hand-picking operations,” Haig said, adding: “Importantly, the recycled films can be used for products including refuse sacks and signage for retailers.”
Being lightweight and 2D in shape, plastics films can easily get mixed into other recycling streams, such as paper, and cause contamination, Haig explained.
“They also have a tendency to get trapped in recycling machinery, requiring regular maintenance.
“As a result, plastic films have been excluded from most public household waste collection schemes around the world.”
Axion Consulting studied five chemical engineering processes and concluded that three – fast pyrolysis, depolymerisation, and gasification with biological treatment – provide “significant financial returns” over a ten-year period.
“The more efficient sorting of films at recycling facilities and the conversion to fuels are clearly better solutions than disposal in landfills or by incineration,” Haig said.
“However, avoiding irresponsible disposal in the first place and increasing our efforts to re-use plastic films and bags should be the priority for everyone.”
www.axionconsulting.co.uk
www.icheme.org
