PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2020

MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 06/20 www.petpla.net 30 A plastic keg in a circular economy? ability and innovation. One focus is on circular design and the use of reusable raw materials. Due to their functionality the kegs are made from a compila- tion of differ- ent kinds of plastic. These plastics, when sorted, are fully recyclable mono materi- als. However, because the multi-material and voluminous kegs do not fit in existing reverse logistic systems and are relatively low in numbers, the big waste collectors are not yet keen on organising their collection and recycling. For that reason, it has been chal- lenging to get the materials back in a closed loop via existing waste recycling streams. Since 2017, in addition to the existing waste streams, OneCircle has focused on building a commu- nity in several different countries to arrange collection and recycling of the kegs. The great advantage of this is that OneCircle keeps control of the raw materials and can therefore use the kegs as raw materials to reuse in the production of new kegs. KeyKegs are the only kegs that fit in a circular economy, states the company. One- Circle facilitates the contact between brewers, distributors and even end- users (restaurants and bars) through its KeyKegUsers.com platform. To close the loop, the same platform can be used to make the connection to local recyclers. These community members take care of local collec- tion and temporary storage. They compress the empty kegs in bales to reduce the volume for transport. One- Circle is supporting these initiatives with lease programs for balers. As soon as reasonable quantities of used kegs are ready for transport, OneCir- cle takes over and organises transport to partners offering the recycling facili- ties. For (Western) Europe KeyKegs are recycled in large numbers during quarterly campaigns in Germany. The main mono-materials PET and PP (approx. 86% of the product’s raw materials) are recovered. These mate- rials are then processed to be reused in new KeyKegs. At present, approximately 30% of a KeyKeg and UniKeg is made from recycled material. In the second part of 2020 this percentage will be increased to approximately 45%. By achieving this, the products already by far exceed the European targets for 2025. However, the percentage of recycled materials in KeyKegs and UniKegs is set to grow consider- ably before the year 2025 to reach the goal of circularity. For other parts of the world, OneCircle is striving for the same concept. However, because logistics are sometimes challenging, and recycling facilities are limited, a special tool has been developed: The tool easily disassembles the kegs, separating the main mono materials PP and PET to facilitate local recy- cling of these materials on available local facilities. www.lightweight-containers.com Recycling Special OneCircle, a Dutch family-owned company runs a growing, global business committed to sustain- +44 (0) 1254 584210 sales@petmachinery.com petmachinery.com Active for over 25 years, our global network and specialist knowledge makes us the go-to company for the sale or purchase of a PET machine. Commercially savvy, we work closely with our customers and our global network, to make sure everyone gets the best deal. Providing comprehensive advice throughout your sale or purchase; we can arrange dismantling, loading, packing, shipping, specialist insurance and commissioning. If you have amachine to sell or you’re looking to purchase, please get in touch. THE INDUSTRY EXPERTS