Recycling of waste plastics into a global hotspot for energy conservation and emission reduction

STPLAS, China Plastic Recycling Machine Manufacturer from China

Plastic is not the enemy of the environment! Plastic is an energy-saving material that can replace other products to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If plastic is not used, the world's energy resources will become more tense and air pollution will become more serious. Recently, at the 20th Asian Plastics Forum held in Taizhou, Zhejiang, the above viewpoint became the consensus of the plastics industry in participating countries. However, industry insiders also said that although the plastics industry has bright prospects, it must also face up to the increasingly serious environmental problems caused by the heavy use of plastic bags and plastic products. National Plastics Association believes that encouraging the reuse of plastic products and better recycling of waste plastics is the key to the sustainable development of the plastics industry.

Dr. Wolfgang, Special Project Consultant of the European Union Plastics Manufacturers Association, said that from the statistics of 27 EU member states and 2 non-member countries, the total amount of plastic waste in Europe in 2008 was about 24.9 million tons, of which 63% came from Plastic Packaging.

Wolfgang believes that plastics are renewable resources and should be taken seriously in recycling. “Some customers don’t use it after they buy plastic bags. This is a wasteful act. People must first change this concept. At the same time, we must educate the public to recognize the value of plastics. Don’t throw plastics into the environment. Know the role of recycling waste plastics.” He said that the EU attaches great importance to the recycling and utilization of waste plastics. At present, most citizens in European countries can consciously classify packaging waste.

Wolfgang said that plastic products can significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, especially in the use of plastics in insulation, food packaging and renewable energy production, which can yield significant benefits. According to research data, in Europe, the application income of plastics is 5 to 9 times higher than that in the production and recycling of plastic products. It is expected that by 2020, the benefits of using plastics will be higher than those from production and waste management. And 9 to 15 times higher.

Wolfgang pointed out that to ensure the sustainable development of the plastics industry, a joint national action plan should be established between plastics producers, processors, retailers and recycling plants. For example, manufacturers need to maintain a good image of plastics, processors should improve product quality, retailers strengthen contact with customers through plastic bag exchange programs, recyclers recycle, etc., improve the image of the plastic bags to improve the image of the industry, to achieve Win-win. In addition, the recycling of different types of waste plastics is not the same, some can be sent to the factory for further processing, some can be used as compost, some can be used to convert into energy, and some can be biodegraded.

It is understood that in the past 10 years, the EU plastics industry has invested 50 million euros to promote the management of plastic waste, and achieved some results. According to the quality of waste plastics, the average recovery rate in 2008 was 51.3%, an increase of 1.7% over the previous year. Among them, Swiss waste plastics recycling work done the best, the recovery rate of 99.5%; followed by Denmark and Germany, the recovery rate of 96.5% and 96.3%.

Japan’s recycling of waste plastics has also been done better. According to the Japan Plastics Industry Federation, the total amount of waste plastics discharged in Japan in 2008 was 9.98 million tons, including municipal emissions of 5.02 million tons and industrial emissions of 4.96 million tons. Recycling 7.58 million tons of waste plastics, accounting for 76% of total emissions. Among them, mechanical recovery 2.14 million tons, accounting for 21%; liquefaction / blast furnace 250,000 tons, accounting for 3%; solid fuel 410,000 tons, accounting for 4%; incineration power generation 3.53 million tons, accounting for 35%; incineration heating 1.24 million tons, 12%. In addition, the amount of incineration only was 1.18 million tons, accounting for 12%; landfill was 1.22 million tons, accounting for 12%.

In recent years, other countries in Asia have also paid more and more attention to the recycling and utilization of waste plastics. They all believe that reducing the environmental pollution of plastic products is not only a simple problem of the government banned the use of plastic bags, but more importantly, it is necessary to change people's perceptions, develop good habits, and establish a sound recycling system. For example, the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association has been strengthening dialogue with federal agencies, trade associations, NGOs, academia and stakeholders in recent years to educate the public about waste sorting and recycling. Under the active promotion of the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association, the state government that first implemented the “No Plastic Bag Day” activity in the country also began to carry out recycling education with the association.

The Philippine Plastics Industry Association also attaches great importance to the education of the public, while focusing on legislation on solid waste management, and consulting with the government, relevant industry associations and relevant interest groups to promote mobile plastics collection and recycling pilot projects and plastic recycling technologies, such as Plastic waste conversion energy technology and biodegradable plastic technology.

Since launching the “Bring Your Own Bag Day” in April 2007, Singapore has discredited the use of plastic bags through public education and cultivated public awareness. Many families in Singapore now use plastic bags to dispose of household waste. At the same time, in order to reduce plastic waste from the root cause, the Singapore National Environment Agency signed a “voluntary packaging agreement” with the catering industry in July 2007. The agreement advocates that environmental practices have positive commercial significance. In the past two years, companies participating in the agreement have reduced 2,500 tons of plastic packaging waste and saved S$4.4 million. It is understood that the overall recycling rate of plastics in Singapore has increased from 40% in 2000 to 57% in 2009, and is expected to reach 60% by 2012. In the future, Singapore will use more waste plastic bags for waste incineration, rather than landfill it to reduce its environmental impact.