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    Home > Chemicals Industry > Rubber Plastic News > Reduced manpower, closure of sorting centers, European recycling industry is being tested by the new crown epidemic

    Reduced manpower, closure of sorting centers, European recycling industry is being tested by the new crown epidemic

    • Last Update: 2022-08-22
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    According to ICIS, sources in the recycled plastics market said this week that the supply of post-consumer waste in parts of Europe is at risk due to the lack of manpower and resources


    .


    source is in danger
    .


    PCBs are the main source of recycled polymers

    Although post-industrial materials provide the raw material for some recycled polymers, Poste Consumer Bales (PCB) is the main raw material for all recycled polymer chains


    .


    In Germany, PCB can be recycled through the deposit return system (DRS); in France, the United Kingdom and other countries, it can be collected through roadside collection points


    .


    Reduced manpower, sorting centers closed

    Reduced manpower, sorting centers closed

    As the Covid-19 pandemic spreads across Europe, waste collection in some countries has been affected either by staff getting sick or by waste collection companies aggressively reducing manpower to limit contact


    .


    Across Europe, different governments have approached the issue in different ways


    .


    On Tuesday, the UK government issued non-statutory guidance to local councils and waste collection companies, advising that household waste should be prioritized, but that "local authorities should try to maintain existing waste services, including separate collection of food waste and dry recyclable materials


    .


    The UK's non-statutory guidelines give high priority to residues (black bags) and food waste, and a medium priority to dry recyclable waste, which is collected every two weeks


    .


    Weekly collection of recyclable dry waste is listed as a low priority, and it is recommended that weekly collections be scaled down to bi-weekly


    .

    The UK government website, advising on recyclable dry waste collection, warns: "Recycled material is an important source of raw material for new packaging, and if recycled material is removed, there may be a supply chain gap for polymer recycling
    .
    "

    "The government is saying that mixing recyclables is a low priority project, which is not ideal
    .
    We can keep the recycling bins running for a while, our bigger question is whether we can have enough staff - maintaining a safe distance will It will have a certain impact on the collection of garbage

    .
    " said a garbage recycler in the UK

    .

    In Eastern Europe, sources who follow the R-PET market say they are seeing a lot of closures of sorting plants that process PCBs due to reduced collection of PCBs
    .

    "Many sorting centers in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary have been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic,
    " said one PCB buyer
    .

    R-PET for food applications is in strong demand as consumer demand for packaged goods and water bottles continues unabated, but plastics processors struggle to obtain enough material
    .

    "I see some sheet producers looking to source PCBs as much as possible, including starting to source raw materials outside Europe," said a trader
    .

    Several sorting centres in France were forced to close in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but some sorting centres have since reopened as the waste collection system adapted to the challenges brought on by the pandemic, which still limits recycling to a certain extent supply of raw materials
    .

    "There will be a shortage of material to be processed, sorting systems will be shut down and collection will be blocked in many parts of France
    .
    We will lose about 50% of the material

    ," said a major French polyolefin reprocessing plant
    .

    The impact of the European recycling industry is expected to be more pronounced in May

    The impact of the European recycling industry is expected to be more pronounced in May

    However, there is often a lag between initial waste collection and the flow of material up the recycling chain
    .
    Affected by the new crown epidemic, some companies have stopped production, and the demand for non-packaging materials in industries such as construction and automotive (the main end users of
    recycled polyolefins) is declining
    .
    As such,
    ICIS does not expect individual affected countries to feel limited supply of raw materials until May .

    Demand for non-packaging materials, a major end user of polyolefins, is declining
    .
    As such,
    ICIS does not expect individual affected countries to feel limited supply of raw materials until May .

    Most recyclable materials in Germany rely on a deposit return system, but the situation is slightly different now
    .
    In the "closed city" areas, people should avoid going to public places, and most consumers store the plastic products they buy at home instead of recycling and returning the deposit

    .

     "People don't want to wait in line for the deposit to be returned, so people are reluctant to hand over the PET bottles,
    " said a plastic recycler
    .

    As with most current issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, how much the pandemic will affect waste collection systems across Europe, and ultimately the availability of recyclables and its impact on sustainability goals, will be It's a matter of time
    .

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