Separating plastic packaging and recycling it has become an increasingly popular habit among citizens, who understand that, with this simple gesture, they are contributing to the protection of the environment, an unavoidable task nowadays. Plastics recycling is soaring, to the extent that the global plastics recycling market is expected to register an Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) of over a 6% between 2020 and 2025, according to the report Engineering Plastic Recycling – Growth, Trends and Forecast (2020 – 2025). The main factor driving its growth is none other than the importance of the sustainability, related very specifically to the consumer and packaging products.
PET is a 100% recyclable material
However, the type of plastic that is recycled and its significance in the recycling process is often unknown. Such is the case, for example, of PET (polyethylene terephthalate). It is the most widely used plastic to make food-contact packaging, yet it is also one of the least known. So much so, that the World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN body, responsible for developing actions to improve health worldwide, mentions in its Report on Food Safety (paragraph 35), published on the World Health Day, the health risks of plastics, but in the case of PET states:
‘Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is strong, heat-resistant and resistant to acidic gases and foods. It can be transparent or opaque. It is not known to leach chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or altering hormones and can be recycled’
Getting to know multilayer PET plastic
PET stands for polyethylene terephthalate. Chemically, it is a polymer obtained through the process of esterification of terephthalic acid and monoethylene glycol by which a monomer is obtained. Then, once it has been subjected to subsequent polycondensation under high vacuum conditions, it transforms into PET.
This material is totally recyclable, is one of the most recycled plastics in the world, and is widely used, both in food or drink packaging, and even in textiles. Examples include water, soft drink, and oil bottles. However, the difficulties arise when dyes are used and layers of other materials are added to improve conservation and appearance, which causes them to be difficult to recycle and, therefore, end up in landfills and incineration plants. This is the case of pizza or sausage packaging, among others. Multilayer PET/PE containers, also known as technical containers, are made up of several layers of different materials, joined together by adhesives. There are also the container lids which are also generally multilayer composites, and which include serigraphy, description of the contents, etc…. Recycling multi-layer PET plastic is therefore technically more complicated and more expensive.
RepetCo’s project to recycle multilayer PET
Despite their difficulty, it is possible to recycle multilayer PET containers and, moreover, to do so in a sustainable way, both economically and environmentally. RepetCo Innovations has developed an innovative technology for the mechanical recycling of such PET/PE containers. The process separates the different layers of plastic. This solution generates rPET pellets and rPE that can be reused in the food industry, for example in trays and containers, bottles for soft drinks or detergents, and in fibres for the textile and automotive industry. The remaining layers (mainly lids) are not disposed of or incinerated but are also recycled.
Currently, the packaging market for the food industry in Europe consists of 60% of multi-layer PET containers and 40% of single-layer PET containers. Thanks to the former, the characteristics of the packaging itself are improved, taking into account each specific product. However, despite its superior use, there is hardly any information regarding the recycling of this material, as currently no company does it. RepetCo Innovations will delaminate the multilayer PET containers in its factory which is being built in Albacete. Furthermore, it should be noted that it will be done in a sustainable manner and without the use of chemicals: neither volatile organic substances (VOC’s) nor solvents (xylene, toluene, acetone,…) nor products or substances that are potentially dangerous or incompatible with the food industry.
Why PET/PE containers are suitable for food contact
One of the factors that has driven the growth of PET/PE packaging and its increasing demand is that it is ideal for contact with food products. According to the National Association of PET Packaging (ANEP), these plastics combine essential properties such as:
- It is as totally recyclable as other traditional materials, and safe to handle at home. In 2017, 75.8% of the bottles declared as purchased by the market were recovered, according to the tracing system used for the rest of the packaging materials. This exceeds by far the recovery target of 55% set by the EU and Spanish legislation for plastics. This efficiency is at the same level as the materials with which it competes.
- PET has the transparency of glass, which allows irregularities to be seen in the product it contains but can be coloured at the request of the customer for products that need to be protected from light, such as dairy products, for example.
- A PET container weighs 10 to 20 times less, depending on the format, than a traditional container of the same capacity, which allows for the optimisation of the payload in the transport of the products. Additionally, this results in a reduction in CO2 emissions.
- It is easily mouldable in the actual packaging plants, which allows for production adapted to market demand, minimum stock of packaging and the reduction of idle financial resources, as well as avoiding unnecessary logistical movements.
- Sustainability. PET does not emit sulphur, nitrogen, or chlorine oxides. It does not contain any of these elements in its composition, making it energetically sustainable.
- Conformity with European regulations. PET complies with all the legal requirements established by national and international regulations that affect it, and its use is authorised in all countries of the world.
