EU could recycle 60% of its plastics by 2020: report

A plastics recycling target of 62 per cent is achievable by 2020, according to a new study by the Brussels-based Plastics Recyclers Europe organization.

“This study, commissioned to Bio Intelligence Service, aims to put forward the most suitable scenario in order to further improve the sustainability of plastics via recycling in Europe in the period to 2020,” said Ton Emans, president of the trade group, which represents plastics recyclers in Europe.

Urgent measures are needed in order to increase recycling rates for plastics, he said.

The report recommends several steps in particular: better collection and sorting methods, better products, fiscal incentives and producer responsibility, focus on individual sectors, better monitoring and enforcement, and better collection of research data. “Recyclers should try to engage more closely with other actors along the supply chain, in particular retailers…who can then put pressure on product manufacturers to promote recyclability,” the report said. “Policy makers can help ensure the overall target is met and exceeded by also setting separate targets for key plastics types and differentiated targets by Member State to reflect recycling rates already achieved.”

The full PDF report is available at this link.