PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2020

Out of shredded and cleaned packaging waste from the Yellow Bag (left), The Green Dot produces recy- clates (centre) that go into the produc- tion of new bottles for cleaning products from Werner & Mertz (right). The recyclates – although significantly more environmentally friendly – are more expensive than compa- rable new plastic. MATERIALS / RECYCLING PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 07+08/20 www.petpla.net 28 The Green Dot, Werner & Mertz and the German Association for the Waste, Water and Raw Materials Industries demand financial incentives and commitment from German government Is this the end of high-quality plastic recycling? Plastic waste in private households increased by 10% in recent months as the numbers of home offices and internet orders went up and the demand for recyclates – recycled plastic from plastic waste – decreased dramatically. What appears at first glance to be a paradox can be attributed to one cause – oil prices. The corona pandemic brought about a sharp fall in the price of oil. Cheap crude oil lowers the cost of producing new plastic and thus rein- forces new plastic’s privileged legal status in Germany as it is exempt from petroleum tax and EEC levies. In comparison, the material recycling of used plastic packaging is eco- nomically even less attractive. Many manufacturers which previously used recyclates for products and packaging are now switching back to new goods. That means not only substantial losses for the recycling industry and a giant step backwards for climate and environmental protection, but also a huge blow to the circular economy. Consumers long ago feared a danger. Surveys show that consumers see plastic as the greatest (environmen- tal) problem. They expect solutions in favour of a sustainable economy and that has not been changed by the cor- onavirus. The solution to the plastic pollution of our environment has been known for some time. Used plastic from post-consumer waste collections like the Yellow Bag can now be recy- cled at such a high quality that it fulfils strict requirements for use in cosmetic packaging. Plastic remains in a closed cycle, where it becomes valuable raw material instead of polluting waste. The technology of material recycling, however, is still pushed aside because the use of new plastic is cheaper in comparison. That’s why three representatives along the supply chain have issued a joint statement in which they demand that the German government use the impending transformation of the economy to establish a sustainable circular economy in general and the reuse of recyclates from used plastic in particular. Peter Kurth, President of BDE (German Association for the Waste, Water and Raw Materials Industries), appeals to the role model function of public procurement for sustain- able management: “The decline in oil prices intensified the already dif- ficult circumstances for many plas- tic recyclers. Expensively produced recyclates find no takers; investments in better recycling are put off or can- celled because refinancing appears impossible. Given the lack of politi- cal action, plastic recycling is threat- ened with severe damage. Anyone who wants a successful, sustainable economy has to employ suitable instruments that have been known for a long time. An altered procurement process that takes ecological aspects seriously should be at the top of the agenda.” Reinhard Schneider, Reinhard Schneider, owner of the cleaning products company Werner & Mertz and winner of the German Envi- ronmental Award 2019, provides