Can bioplastics be recycled?

06-Sep-2018 - Germany

Bioplastics are regarded as a sustainable alternative to plastics made from crude oil. Should these materials be increasingly used, e.g. in packaging? The environmentally friendly potential of bioplastics will only be fully exploited if they can be recycled. Experts from Fraunhofer UMSICHT have asked: Are bioplastics recyclable? The new position paper "Recycling of bioplastics" provides answers.

Food packaging, e.g. for fruit and vegetables, could soon be produced more frequently from more sustainable plastics. The new Packaging Act will come into force on 1 January 2019. This will create incentives to use products made of recyclable plastics and renewable raw materials in packaging. This could increase the share of bioplastics in the overall plastics market. So far it has been only 0.6 percent. The majority of these are used in packaging, while other areas of application include consumer goods, agriculture, textiles and electronics.

Bioplastics are bio-based, biodegradable or both. The material therefore appears to be an ideal candidate for making our packaging more sustainable. However, the contribution of bioplastics to this development can only be fully exploited if it is possible to recycle the material.

In the new position paper "Recycling bioplastics", experts from Fraunhofer UMSICHT took a closer look at the bioplastics material group and asked: Are bioplastics recyclable?

The position of the Fraunhofer UMSICHT

The scientists at Fraunhofer UMSICHT have made it clear that bioplastics and conventional plastics can in principle be identified and sorted. Should bioplastics, e.g. in packaging, be used to a greater extent in the future, this will require, among other things, a targeted adjustment of waste management. This results in various recommendations for action:

Products and materials must be designed in such a way that they can remain in circulation after use. This means that all components can be separated from each other without leaving any residue in order to facilitate recycling (e.g. the lids of yoghurtpots).

Deposit solutions, e.g. for PET bottles, achieve high purities and recycling rates. Deposit systems for bio-based plastics could also facilitate disposal for consumers.

Sorting trials with products made of bioplastics should be carried out. This would make it possible to optimise sorting systems and software-controlled plastic identification systems in the event that larger quantities of bioplastics are used for sorting in the future

Labelling of recycled products (e.g. on recycling content and quality) would be desirable to enable consumers to adapt their purchasing behaviour

Solutions for optimal recycling of bioplastics

Are bioplastics recyclable? Fraunhofer UMSICHT basically answers this question with "yes". However, technically, economically and ecologically sensible solutions still have to be developed and established. This is the only way to sensibly increase the proportion of sustainable plastics in our value chain. Taking responsibility: Material developers and designers, manufacturers of plastic products, households for sorting, logistics and transport systems as well as recycling companies.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1157261/can-bioplastics-be-recycled.html