CPIA leads plastics recycling mission to Germany

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) used the recent K 2010 show Dusseldorf, Germany to expose Canadian participants to some of the leading post-use plastic recovery technologies in the world.

The CPIA’s three-day “Technology Transfer Mission” involved a tour of plastic recycling exhibitor booths at the show, followed by two days spent touring local municipal energy recovery facilities and recycling plants.

“This is a rare opportunity for Canadian plastics processors and others to learn about post-consumer plastic recovery from the best,” Mark Badger, the CPIA’s president and CEO, told Canadian Plastics at the show. “With Germany boasting a 90 per cent recovery rate, compared to Canada’s low double-digit rate, we have a great deal to see and learn, and this mission will create a healthy dialogue between those who have the technologies and those who want them.”

Sponsored by Export Development Canada, the CPIA’s mission drew a mix of included plastic processors, recyclers, material suppliers, government waste officials and stewardship organizations from B.C., Alberta, Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes.

The hoped-for end result, Badger said, is for mission participants to implement some of Europe’s expertise back home in Canada.

“Participants will see leading sorting technologies, cleaning, granulating and pelletizing operations pertaining to most plastic resin streams, several “bottle to bottle” technologies surrounding PET recovery, plastic film recovery technologies involving PE and PP, and also several ways that various resin streams are successfully separated,” Badger said. “As well as stimulating rapid resource recovery, increasing Canada’s post-use plastic recovery is essential to developing strong consumer perceptions of plastic products, and avoiding difficult legislation.”