Trade association NRK Recycling commissioned CE Delft to investigate potential climate gains from using mechanically recycled plastics in making new products. This CE Delft study showed that recycling plastics yields substantial environmental gains and therefore definitely makes sense. For instance, using mechanically recycled plastic provides a CO2-gain of 2.6 to 4.6 kilos (depending on the type of plastic ) for every kilogram of recycled plastic used. This number compares with using new fossil plastics to make new products.
More plastic needs to be recycled
According to research firm CE Delft, the use of mechanically recycled plastic in the manufacture of new products yields substantial environmental gains. For companies, it is becoming increasingly necessary to work more sustainably. One way to achieve this is by using mechanically recycled plastics instead of new fossil fuels. The fact that the use of mechanical plastics has a smaller footprint on the environment is because these raw materials are reused through recycling, so no new fossil raw materials need to be used to make products.
Besides not being good for the environment, it is also a waste not to recycle plastic. When plastic is recycled, the materials are reused, but otherwise it ends up in the incinerator. This also creates a lot of CO2-emissions, which in turn is bad for the environment. According to CE Delft, too much plastic is still bandaged in the incinerator today, purely because it is not collected separately from other waste and is not recycled.
Encouraging legislation in plastic recycling essential
For a company to use mechanical plastics to make products, it is essential that there is incentive legislation. For instance, a mandatory minimum percentage should be set by law on the amount of recycled material in plastic items. Because suppose a legal percentage of at least 30% of recycled material in plastic items was set, you would save emissions of 38 million cars a year.
There should also be a ban on the incineration of properly sortable plastics. This is because these plastics are well suited for recycling and therefore it would be a waste not to include them in the process. This ban could allow recycling organisations to get their hands on more material to recycle. At
