Can the plastic recycling industry be saved?

"In the plastic recycling industry, the casualties keep coming. Waste management company Biffa's Sunderland plant closed in February after opening in 2022 at a cost of 7m, while rival Viridor closed its Avonmouth plant in 2022, Skelmersdale in 2023 and confirmed this summer that its Rochester plant would close, too. Like falling dominoes, plastic recycling plant closures have been endemic across Europe too: another big name, Veolia, will close its two German operations this year, while seven plastic recyclers closed in the Netherlands last year."

"Meanwhile, companies Borealis, Dow and Nester have all dropped plans to construct new plastic recycling plants in Europe. Industry body Plastic Recyclers Europe equates this to the loss of nearly one million tonnes of plastic recycling capacity since 2023. "Without decisive political action, Europe will replace its recycling industry with dependency on unsustainable imports and growing volumes of waste, undermining both its economic resilience and its climate leadership," the organisation told the BBC in a statement."

Plastic recycling plants across the UK and Europe are shutting, including Biffa's Sunderland and multiple Viridor and Veolia sites, and seven Dutch recyclers closed last year. Borealis, Dow and Nester have dropped plans for new European recycling plants. Industry estimates indicate nearly one million tonnes of recycling capacity lost since 2023. High energy and labour costs and cheaper virgin or Asian-sourced plastic make European recycled material uncompetitive. The shift increases dependence on imports, threatens climate and economic resilience, risks further closures, and is mirrored in the US where recycled-content targets are being missed.

Read at www.bbc.com