PLASTIC WASTE RECYCLING - FEEDSTOCK RECYCLING IN GERMANY

Due to the deficiency of areas for landfill and society's rejection of installing new incineration capacities, European countries, especially Germany, are forced to recycle plastic waste. Only a limited amount is suitable for mechanical recycling, which always leads to lower qualities and therefore has to fight against a limited market potential. Mixed, small and dirty parts of plastic refuse like sales packaging, have to be recovered by a more efficient method, i.e., feedstock recycling, which breaks down the polymers back into their basic raw materials (e.g., oil). Processes which can be applied are reviewed. Practical experiences have displayed, that a hydrogenation process can be the most favourable way for feedstock recycling. Economics of several processes are discussed and correlated to the costs of municipal solid waste (MSW) incineration in Germany. Additional capacities for feedstock recycling are necessary to fulfill the existing and expected legislative demands of recycling (German Packaging Ordinance), but nevertheless energy recovery is indispensible for plastic scrap like shredder light fluff or metal containing electronic scrap, which can not be recycled efficiently. Therefore, the quality of plastic waste has to determine the way of recovery with respect to ecological and economic points of view.