Fresh Investments Expand World’s Plastics Recycling Capacity

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Investments in new recycling plants that make use of state-of-the-art technologies have led to significant expansion of plastics recycling capacities around the world.

The Turkish recycler Burkasan had recently commissioned a new PET bottle recycling plant in Bursa, south of the capital city of Istanbul. The company had invested approximately EUR 5 million in installing Tomra sorting line, capable of processing up to five tonnes of plastic scrap per hour, including PET, HDPE and PP and offering a purity level close to 99%. The plant makes plastic bottles out of plastic waste, the first such facility in the region capable of doing it. The company, in the next phase of development, intends to make additional investments, aimed at producing PET granulates.

Similarly, a non-profit company had launched a new beverage packaging sorting plant, capable of handling more than half of Denmark’s recycled cans and PET bottles. The sorting line, designed and built by Stadler, uses magnetic separation technique and near infrared technology.

According to industry participants, there exists huge potential for more PET recycling plants. For instance, the U.S. alone produces around 2.8 million tonnes of PET every year, out of which, only 29% is collected.

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