PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Laminated paper containers are a waste stream that is very difficult to recycle. Consisting of used beverage cartons (UBC) and polycups (e.g. single-use coffee cups), these popular composite packaging materials are made of multiple layers of paper/cardboard, plastic and metals such as aluminium. The fusion of different materials makes these products very difficult to recycle efficiently. As a result, over one million tonnes of potentially valuable materials are incinerated or landfilled every year, with a significant environmental impact. Current recycling initiatives are limited to recovering the paper/cardboard materials and cover only a fraction of the total waste stream. Due to difficulties in collecting and/or separating the materials, only half of the 900 000 tonnes of UBC discarded in Europe annually are recycled today. The figure is even lower for polycups. Moreover, the focus on paper pulp in recycling processes leads to low yields due to a lack of specialised equipment capable of separating the individual components. As a result, a mixed stream of polyethylene and aluminium, commonly referred to as PolyAl, is currently discarded and either incinerated or landfilled. The key issue with current recycling initiatives for UBC and polycups (UBC&P) lies in historical and practical developments. In order to use the recovered paper pulp instantly, recycling today takes place at paper mills. This current recycling process for UBC&P waste is highly inefficient. A large part of the material is not recycled due to problems with recovery and separation. Additionally, UBC&P materials that are recycled are often treated in suboptimal facilities, resulting in the loss of large amounts of valuable materials throughout the value chain. Moreover, potentially reusable materials are incinerated or landfilled in large quantities and waste streams are transported back and forth unnecessarily. This inefficient value chain originated from practical and historical factors and is outdated. A new and more efficient approach is required to extract valuable paper, plastic and aluminium components from UBC&P, to meet EU waste recycling targets.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE PULPCYCLE project aimed to demonstrate a new approach and business model for recycling used beverage cartons and polycups (UBC&P). This would involve building an industrial-scale (25 000 tonne/year) pulping and treatment installation combined with an existing waste processing and energy plant.
The projects specific objectives were to:
- Demonstrate a new, integrated and continuous process for pulping, treatment and sanitisation of UBC&P with higher pulp yield and quality;
- Improve the logistics chain (lower carbon footprint) by eliminating unnecessary transport of resource and waste streams;
- Increase the recycling rate of plastics and aluminium; and
- Produce a new, high quality product in the form of dried, sanitised fibre.
LIFE PULPCYCLE would contribute to a plethora of EU policy and legislation, including the Waste Framework Directive, the Renewable Energy Directive, the Landfill Directive, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, the circular economy package and the plastics strategy.
RESULTS
Due to unfeasible commercialisation of Used Beverage Containers (UBC) and polycups as well as insufficient progress of a favourable legislation on recycling, the project was not able to achieve its targeted results. The project was therefore terminated earlier than foreseen, on 1/09/2021.
