Have you ever wondered about the situation of plastic recycling in Italy?
Today we make the point considering the new PPWR regulations.
❯ Recycling Numbers
In Italy, statistics show a steady increase in the number of recycling chains. According to CONAI, recycled plastic reached 48% in 2023 and is expected to hit 52% in 2024. In particular, the percentage of regenerated plastic packaging has reached 55.6%, exceeding in advance the EU minimum target to be reached by 2030.
The sector that uses the most recycled plastics is packaging (35%), followed by construction (26%), hygiene and street furniture (tied at 13%), agriculture, textile, and technical items (around 3-4%).
❯ Market Challenges
These trends reflect growing business confidence and commitment to invest in recycling. Waste is now considered a valuable resource for the future and the key to keeping up with the new circular economy requirements.
The PPWR's 2030 recycling targets present a significant challenge to the packaging industry, which must embrace innovation in material reuse to achieve these ambitious goals. The aim is to improve the quality of post-consumer and post-industrial plastics, concentrating research mainly in two areas:
- studying new formulations with increasing recycled content
- testing innovative chemical and mechanical recycling technologies.
❯ The Solution Presented at PRSE 2024
The biggest challenge for companies is small-scale testing, which requires high production costs and makes it difficult to find complete solutions tailored to their needs.
To overcome this problem, we created our MICROEX CAST, a benchtop extrusion machine capable of producing small film samples with minimal waste and energy consumption. It is the smallest of our flexible film lines, compatible with most recycled materials such as PE, PP, and PET. Thanks to the special 17,5 ⌀ MICROEX single-screw extruder, it can complete a full test with just 300g of material from both post-consumer and post-industrial sources. It can also be equipped with EYES, a visual quality control system that identifies and categorises all aesthetic film defects, compatible with all EUR.EX.MA lines..
Emerging technologies are a strategic resource for developing a sustainable future and will play a key role in meeting market demands.
Come to PRSE 2024, HALL 11 Stand P2, and discover MICROEX CAST and our complete laboratory lines. We are ready to help you find the best solution for your recycled material!