PETpla.net Insider 06+07 / 2014

BOTTLE MAKING 39 PET planet insider Vol. 15 No. 06+07/14 www.petpla.net emphasises that lightweighting should not compromise bottle performance. It is designed to prevent ‘over-squeez- ing’ and spilling and to offer environ- mental advantages by reducing the impact throughout the supply chain. Recycling rates Analysis has shown that recycling leads to a cut in energy consump- tion of two-thirds, compared with that required to manufacture with virgin material. All PET bottles could, in principle, be manufactured using recycled material as is possible to produce rPET suitable for food con- tact. The slight discolouration associ- ated with recycled material does not affect bottle performance. The greater barrier to the adoption of rPET is the lack of availability of quality material, due in part to the traditional mechani- cal methods of recycling PET bottles. Such methods have not been effective at separating contaminants such as dyes from the plastic. Collection rates are also an issue. Europe saw more than 60 billion bot- tles recycled in 2012; an overall col- lection rate of over 52%. In the USA, the gross recycling rate in the same year was 30.8%, 1.5% higher than 2011 and helped by a near-20% surge in recycling of single-serve PET water bottles. Asia’s recycling rate is almost 80% but Eastern Europe achieves only 12%. In many developing coun- tries a discarded PET bottle has intrin- Wide range of solutions: from individual modules to turnkey projects... '03 */5&3/"5*0/"- 4"-&4 ʰ ʰ t 888 403&." *5 t 4"-&4ʴ403&." *5 MACHINERY FOR THE RECYCLYNG INDUSTRY 22040 ANZANO DEL PARCO CO ITALY WASHING PLANTS FOR : #055-&4 t '*-.4 t 5)&3.0'03.4 t $3"5&4 t '*#&34 t &5$ . NEW HIGH DENSITYWASHING REACTOR FLEXIBILITY AND SURFACE PURITY t sic value; collection from households or open landfill sites provides a rev- enue stream and contributes to high recycling rates in certain regions. The technological advances being made to optimise the use of those bot- tles need to be encouraged, to build on new filtration processes that gener- ate PET flakes in more eco-friendly and cost effective ways. Despite the challenges, many major bever- age brand owners are committed to increasing its use in their bottling pro- cesses. Some have already achieved over 50%, in certain product lines. Beyond the bottle… Sidel conducted some research into the possibilities of a ‘recycled office’ and uncovered a wide and diverse range products of that could be made from recycled material. rPET is being found in a wide and expand- ing field of applications, from cloth- ing – including several kits worn by players in the Fifa World Cup finals in Brazil – to upholstery and sound insu- lation. Companies providing lighting and seating, desks, partitions, caR- PETing, protective mats and window blinds are now offering rPET options. The Pollibrick, a self-interlocking ‘brick’ made from recycled PET bot- tles, can be sourced and manufac- tured close to construction sites. EcoArk, in the main exhibition hall for the Taipei International Floral Exhibi- tion in Taiwan, was made using some 1.5 million PET bottles. A project in the Philippines called ‘IsangLitrongLiwanag’ (A Litre of Light), is a sustainable lighting project developed by My Shelter Foundation. A plastic bottle is filled with water, some salt and a few drops of bleach to prevent algae, and placed in a hole in the ceiling. Light refracted through the bottle produces illumination equiv- alent to a 50-watt electric bulb. www.sidel.com