PETpla.net Insider 05 / 2021

PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 05/21 www.petpla.net 39 TRADE SHOW REVIEW Technology and opinions from Tomra Recycling in China Ten years ago, in 2011, Tomra Recycling Business entered the Chinese market to develop products tailored for local demands. Tomra China set up a testing centre, supply chain centre and, crucially, a customer service centre, in order to alleviate Chinese customers’ concerns about time-consuming and costly maintenance of high-end equipment imported from Europe. Localisation became the top priority. Near Tomra’s technology exhibits at the show, Ms Kelly Xie, Head of Tomra Recycling China, shared some comments on and insights in the current recycling situation in China. At this year’s Chinaplas, Tomra highlighted its Innosort Flake sort- ing solution. The current version, launched in January 2019 after in- depth market research, is a cost- effective solution tailored to the Chinese market. It is also exported to other markets such as Southeast Asia. Designed for recovery of even the smallest flakes, Innosort Flake removes polymers, coloured flakes and metals across various applica- tions, including PET and PO, accord- ing to the company. It uses Tomra’s Flying Beam technology and a dual full colour camera to remove large amounts of impurities, as small as 2mm grain size. With a sorting width of 2.000mm it is able to process up to 6 t/h, conducting multiple sorting steps to achieve the purest end product. Talking about the current situation of plastic recycling technology and the market in China, Ms Kelly Xie, Head of Tomra Recycling China, said that she had contacted and exchanged ideas with many customers and indus- try professionals at Chinaplas. The increasing demand for high-quality recycled plastics was emphasised by the fact that most people she talked to wanted to learn about the latest technology and market information on waste plastic recycling. She is very confident in the prospects of the plas- tic recycling industry. People from world-leading brands of household products visited the Tomra booth for in depth discussions. They were concerned about whether the average Chinese consumers would accept recycled plastics in household products packaging, and whether they would be willing to pay the higher prices resulting from the use of recycled materials. In her opin- ion, the reuse of plastics in the FMCG sector has improved but the quality, cost, and cleanliness of recycled plas- tic packaging are still controversial in the industry. More efforts should be made to promote consumer trust in recycled materials. Ms Xie offered some advice to encourage greater acceptance and to take pride in using and consuming recycled packaging. She suggested that the household products and beverage industries should strive to tell the story and explain the process. After efficient sorting and cleaning, recycled materials have the same quality as virgin materials and can be recycled in production and consump- tion. Recycling plastic has a great role to play in saving the already over- whelmed earth. She also suggested that brand owners partner with com- petent recycling companies to drive technology upgrades and to enhance the supply of high-end materials. The recycling industry has an excellent opportunity for growth and this offers a significant benefit for Tomra. However, Ms Xie pointed out that although the plastic recycling industry is regarded as a sunrise industry, with unlimited business opportunities, its development will not happen overnight. There will be no explosive growth in the short term; it will go through an extended period of evolution, despite all the hype. You can’t make something out of nothing, as the saying goes. Although the processes of sorting, washing, and extrusion of waste plastics are technically mature, recycling com- panies are encountering significant problems in obtaining waste materials. The establishment of a scientific and standardised waste plastic collection system, covering transportation, termi- nal disposal, resource recovery, and information management, is essential. Ms Xie shared the successful example of Tomra helping to build the Shanghai Xupu Two-Network Integration Distribution Centre. The amended Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes, which was introduced on September 1, 2020, requires “strengthening the integration of the Sanitation System and the Recycling System in terms of planning, construc- tion and operation”: the “Integration of the Two Networks”. Shanghai has been at the forefront of this process in China and has built a series of pilot projects. A dedicated plastic sorting line was created in Shanghai Xupu Two-Network Integration Distribution Centre to recycle all kinds of plastics in household waste and reduce plastic pollution. Tomra’s NIR sorting machine, Auto- sort, detects and sorts mixed waste plastics according to their material and colour characteristics. They are sorted Kelly Xie, Head of Tomra Recycling China