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• The technical performance of an improved mechanical recycling process is reported. • Regranulates from this process exhibit higher performance compared to the baseline. • It is demonstrated that the regranulates can be used in higher value applications. • The process is shown to be less negative in the economics and more self-sustaining. Packaging represents the largest fraction of plastic waste in Europe. Currently, mechanical recycling schemes are mainly focused on the recovery of rigid packaging (like bottles), while for flexible packaging, also called films, recycling rates remain very low. Existing mechanical recycling technologies for these films are quite basic, especially in the case of complicated post-consumer flexible plastics (PCFP) waste, leading to regranulate qualities that are often subpar for renewed use in demanding film applications. In this study, the technical and economic value of an improved mechanical recycling process (additional sorting, hot washing, and improved extrusion) of PCFPs is investigated. The quality of the four types of resulting regranulates is evaluated for film and injection molding applications. The obtained Polyethylene-rich regranulates in blown films offer more flexibility (45–60%), higher ductility (27–55%), and enhanced tensile strength (5–51%), compared to the conventional mechanical recycling process. Likewise, for injection molded samples, they exhibit more flexibility (19–49%), enhanced ductility (7 to 20 times), and higher impact strength (1.8 to 3.8 times). An economic assessment is made between the obtained increased market value and the capital investment required. It is shown that the economic value can be increased by 5–38% through this improved recycling process. Overall, the study shows that it is possible to increase the mechanical recycling quality of PCFP in an economically viable way, thus opening the way for new application routes and overall increased recycling rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study the performance of packaging EPR in the EU with novel industrial data. • PROs achieving higher recycling rates do not entail necessarily higher costs. • Non-competitive systems are more successful in increasing recycling rates. • Systems that exclude local authorities in the collection underperform. This paper provides an analysis of the performance of European packaging waste systems, focusing on Extended Producer Responsibility schemes and Producer Responsibility Organizations. We adopt two separate but complementary empirical analysis: i) an indicator-based assessment of the cost-efficiency and recycling effectiveness of PROs; ii) a regression analysis of the determinants of recycling rates at the national level. The analysis spans over 25 national schemes and 21 Producer Responsibility Organizations. Our findings show that systems that have higher recycling rates do not entail necessarily higher costs. Non-competitive systems are more successful in increasing recycling rates no matter the cost; moreover, they are better able to use funds collected from EPR fees charged to producers, delivering improved cost-efficiency. Furthermore, higher recycling rates are associated with systems in which local authorities retain the operational responsibility of collection. Systems that do not involve local authorities always underperform. The policy implications are clear: local authorities should have some responsibility for collecting and sorting packaging waste and competitive systems should not be looked at as a first choice when designing a national recycling strategy. A mix of policy schemes, including non-profit EPR, door-to-door collection and Deposit-Refund-Schemes can be effective strategies for increasing the recycling rates of the waste streams that need more intervention, most notably plastic packaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS), mainly comprised of expanded polystyrene (EPS) as the insulating material, have been used to insulate facades of buildings for the past few decades. In Europe, waste from ETICS deconstruction is currently disposed of in waste incineration facilities or landfills. Although the current quantities of ETICS waste are small, disposal of the increasing quantities of waste is posing a problem in some countries. New recycling strategies, such as the physico-chemical recycling of EPS or reutilisation of material and energy of all ETICS components in cement plants, offer the possibility of a circular economy for ETICS waste in the future. However, this would require a waste management chain from the construction site to the utilisation plant with appropriate waste treatment. To assess this concept further, this study documented dismantling efforts at different construction sites and conducted large-scale trials for ETICS waste treatment. The results of this study will allow the selection of suitable processing units and will be applied in a model developed by the IWARU Institute to determine economically and ecologically advantageous waste management routes that can be used to handle ETICS waste in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Predicts the environmental and economic performance of policy instruments to promote plastic recycling. • Combines equilibrium model (top-down) with techno-economic and life cycle assessment (bottom-up). • Policy instruments that do not target a specific technology are more likely to increase thermochemical recycling than mechanical recycling. • Policy instruments should focus on environmental outcomes rather than increasing recycling rates. • Future research should include geographical considerations and asses other circular economy strategies. The objective of this paper is to examine the recycling rates for mechanical and thermochemical recycling of postconsumer polyethylene flexible packaging after the implementation of different policy instruments. The study uses a supply chain equilibrium model that incorporates market data and techno-economic assessments to simulate market equilibrium. It combines this with a life cycle assessment to explore the environmental implications of implementing different policy instruments. The results show that instruments that do not target a specific technology are more likely to increase thermochemical recycling than mechanical recycling. Furthermore, a higher recycling rate is not equivalent to a better environmental outcome. An increased collection target that ensures a supply of plastic waste would increase the overall recycling rates the most. A recycled content standard for mechanical recycling would lead to the highest increase in mechanical recycling, with top results for environmental indicators, but low results for economic indicators. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Waste flows are modelled to quantify Europe's resource recovery potential. • Best practice waste collection recovers 48% more recyclable material than average. • However, present best practice waste collection is unable to meet recycling targets. • The environmental benefits of improving waste collection are quantified using LCA. • Better overall management of waste is shown to be needed in Europe. Collecting more waste via source separation waste collection systems is an essential part of increasing resource efficiency, achieving European recycling targets and closing the loop in a circular economy. Huge variation in the capture rates of packaging waste (paper, plastic, metal, composite material and glass) exists in Europe, even between municipalities with similar characteristics, which suggests there is great potential to increase the amount of these materials that can be recovered. In order to assess the environmental impacts linked to higher collection rates, a Life Cycle Assessment model was built that considers the reduced need for virgin materials as the system's loops are closed. An extra 18 million tonnes of waste could be collected annually in Europe if best practice collection strategies were to be deployed, leading to a 13% reduction in greenhouse gas production associated with the packaging and packaging waste. Although high collection performance is crucial for efficient resource use, improving source separation waste collection systems alone will not be enough to achieve recycling targets; material losses must be reduced throughout the value chain, i.e. at the sorting and recycling stages. By evaluating the circularity and environmental implications of current waste management, it can be shown at which points in the system the most improvement needs to be made for each material in order to facilitate the transition towards a circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relationship between recycling rates and competitiveness of firms is tested. • Recycling rates deal with packaging waste, e-waste and bio-waste. • Competitiveness of firms refers to: gross investment, employees and value added. • Stochastic frontier analysis shows that all recycling rates affect competitiveness. • Inefficiency function reveals that R&D spending positively affects competitiveness. The present paper aims to investigate the relationship between achieved recycling rates and the competitiveness of firms working in circular economy sectors. The econometric analysis is based on the Stochastic Frontier Analysis (a parametric model) and is carried out in reference to seventeen European countries over the years 2010–2016. It reveals intriguing results about the positive effect that achieved recycling rates of packaging, electronic and bio-waste can exert on the competitiveness of firms, although differences emerge across the countries considered. Furthermore, through the inefficiency function, a positive effect of R&D spending on competitiveness of European firms is disclosed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milliken & Company reports that its Millad® NX® 8000 ECO clarifier technology is fully compatible with polypropylene (PP) recycling processes in Europe and poses no recyclability issues, according to RecyClass, a European cross-industry initiative that works to advance plastic packaging recyclability. Milliken has also joined the Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, an industry collaboration established to improve PP recovery and recycling in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposit-Refund Systems (DRS) are one of the most effective methods to collect one-way beverage packaging. Yet, the analysis of their operating modes and related cost burdens for each actor are still evolving. This study analyses the operating modes and the cost burdens of ten European DRS' using a number of building blocks shared among the different systems. This approach facilitates their comparison and the development of new models. The building blocks are identified through content analysing some relevant reports. The results show that the required building blocks are the four actors in the process – namely the DRS operator, producers, retailers, and customers –, the money-material flows among the actors (operating mode), and the costs and revenues for each actor (cost burden). Using this approach, the ten models in Europe are reduced to four DRS archetypes. Each archetype has a different money-material flow and a different cost burden for each actor. There are in total 18 costs and 9 revenues. This study contributes to the systematic analysis of DRS′ in terms of their operating modes and related cost burdens for each actor. Using building blocks to describe the DRS′ facilitates the comparison of different models and the analysis of their efficiency and effectiveness. Moreover, it provides a tool to develop new, country-specific DRS′ in those areas where DRS' do not exist. • Deposit-Refund Systems (DRS) apply a price surcharge on polluting products refunding it when the product is returned. • One of their primary goals is the recycling of one-way beverage packaging. • There are different DRS models in Europe that can be analysed by using a number of building blocks. • By analysing European DRS models through such building blocks , four DRS archetypes have been identified. • This analysis facilitates the comparison of different DRS models and the development of new ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several are the challenges related to plastic waste, spanning from littering, high collection costs, and low recycling rates. Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is considered a key initiative to tackle some of these issues. To evaluate EPR role and effectiveness, 40 management scenarios focused on plastic packaging waste generated by Italian households were investigated, and their environmental performance (via a consequential life cycle assessment) and the economic sustainability of their waste value chain (via a cost-benefit analysis for each stakeholder) were compared to the recycling targets. Overall, packaging waste management represented an environmental burden. Yet, environmental benefits can be achieved by maximizing the collection rate, while minimizing the impurities collected with the source-segregated plastic and the processing losses in the recycling chain. Furthermore, the cost-benefit analysis showed that the recyclers are the weakest link in the value chain, and recycling of soft plastic and mixed polyolefin is generally not profitable. This increases the risk of exporting low-quality materials outside Europe, where their fate is uncertain. Finally, the results demonstrate that improving plastic packaging recyclability and strengthening the market for secondary plastic is critical for reaching the European recycling targets of 55% in 2030. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]