PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2021

8 NEWS PETplanet Insider Vol. 22 No. 07+08/21 www.petpla.net Plastics Recycling Show Europe returns to Amsterdam in November The Plastics Recycling Show Europe (PRSE) returns to the RAI Amster- dam, The Netherlands on November 4-5, 2021, moving to the larger hall 12 to accommodate demand for a larger exhibition and conference space. The PRSE is a free-to-attend exhibition and a conference designed specifically for plastics recycling professionals. It brings together key players from the plastics and recy- cling sectors to showcase latest technology, share best practice, network and do business. A broad cross-section of the industry is represented at the event including plastics recycling machinery and equipment suppliers, plastic material suppliers and compounders, pre-processors, plastics recyclers, waste manage- ment specialists and industry associations. The latest trends in the plastics recycling sector will be explored throughout the free-to-attend two-day conference, which provides a holistic view of the whole plastic recycling value chain, drawing together political leaders, major brands, recyclers and the plastics recycling and manufacturing industry. Updating del- egates on the latest political and legislative developments in plastics recycling in Europe will be the opening conference session entitled: Making Plastics Fully Circular: What’s Next? Materials focus sessions on the first day will explore the challenges, issues and opportunities within the sector for mechanical recycling, covering PET, PVC and technical plastics. The second day’s opening conference session is Closing the Circle with RecyClass and is followed by polyolefin material focus sessions which will exam- ine the current status of polyolefin waste streams including LDPE and HDPE. The conference concludes with a final session looking at PP and PS recycling. The winners of all seven award categories at the Plastics Recycling Awards Europe 2021 will be announced at the event on November 5. All 55 finalists will be showcased in the exhibition, as will the winners of the 2020 awards, which were presented virtually. The hybrid event in November will allow people unable to visit the event in person to view elements of the two-day conference programme via livestream, including the announcement of winners of the Plastics RecyclingAwards Europe. Online-only visitors will also be able to interact directly with exhibitors. Organisers Crain Communications and Plastics Recyclers Europe are work- ing closely with the RAI to ensure all visitors enjoy a covid-secure event. This will include following the latest guidelines from the Government of The Netherlands and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM). www.prseventeurope.com Associations claim priority access to recycled plastic material for beverage industry The non-alcoholic beverage industry in Europe, represented by the European Fruit Juice Association (AIJN), Natural Mineral Waters Europe (NMWE) and Unesda Soft Drinks Europe, calls on the European Com- mission for “priority access” to its recycled plastic (PET) material, or a similar mechanism that guarantees “right of first refusal”, to be incorporated in the upcoming revision of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive. As the beverage industry continues to invest in circularity and to put highly recyclable PET on the market, it needs to have priority access to its own recycled packaging material, the associations state. This will help the beverage industry produce new packaging with food- grade recycled PET compliant with EU food safety standards, achieve its recycling targets and prevent its recycled PET being downcycled. Closing the bottle loop is required to ensure that the beverage industry meets the Single Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) targets and contributes to building a more circular economy for beverage packaging. The beverage industry is subject to several mandatory requirements under SUPD, one of which is that PET in bottles has to be food- grade to comply with EU food safety standards. In addition to introducing mandatory collection targets for PET bottles, SUPD also mandates the beverage industry to use a minimum of 25% (by 2025) and 30% (by 2030) of recycled content. The beverage industry’s commitment is not only to achieve these EU targets, but also to go much further by creating a closed loop for its PET bottles. www.unesda.eu Investment in PET recycling facility in New South Wales, Australia The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has made its first investment under the Australian Recycling Investment Fund, committing up to US$12.05m (AU$16.5m) in debt finance on behalf of the Australian Government to a PET recycling facility in regional New South Wales. The new plant will recycle the equivalent of an estimated one billion PET bottles a year as well as create long term employment opportunities in Albury-Wodonga. The PET plastic will be used to produce more than 20,000 t/a of new bottles and food packaging. Circular Plastics Australia (CPA) will beAustralia’s largest PET plastic recycling plant and only the second facility of its kind in Australia to process PET end- to-end into food-grade recycled PET. The plant is intended to increase Australian manufactured and sourced recycled PET by two thirds, reducing the country’s reliance on both new and imported recycled plastics. The announcement came just days after an export ban on sending mixed plastics overseas for recycling came into effect. The ban was agreed by Federal, State and local governments in 2019 after China and Indonesia blocked imports of waste from Australia and other nations. The project will draw on US$12.05m (AU$16.5m) in debt finance from the Com- monwealth Bank of Australia, for a total debt finance package of US$24m (AU$33m), to build the US$33m (AU$45m) state-of- the-art recycling facility. Construction is well underway, with the plant to be part powered by renewable electricity through the instal- lation of solar panels. Recycled PET produced at the CPA facil- ity will help fill a growing demand for green supply chains, displacing fossil fuel derived and carbon intensive virgin PET production. It comes asAustralia is required to take more responsibility for its waste and continue to develop the nation’s circular economy. www.cefc.com.au