WASTE PLASTICS RECYCLING A GOOD PRACTICES GUIDE

BY AND FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL AUTHORITIES

Consumption by polymers and applications

Switzerland
In 199973, the Swiss consumption of plastics was about 800,000 tonnes, or 110 kg/inh/y. In the same
year, waste plastics production was estimated to 570,000 tonnes (78 kg/inh/y), i.e. 71 per cent of
consumption. The plastic stocked in the anthroposphere is estimated to 12 Mt , i.e. equivalent to
the production during 15 years, or 1.65 t/inh.
Table 29: Waste plastics management in Switzerland (1999)
Type of waste plastic
Kg/inh/y
per cent
Packaging

3.4

47

PET bottles

3.1

43

Crates

0.3

Caps and PE bottles

0.1

Films from agriculture and construction

0.1

PVC flooring

0.1

EPS thermal insulator

< 0.1

<1

Pipes

< 0.1

<1

Total

7.3

100

Source: OFEFP (2001)74

United Kingdom
Plastics consumption in the UK was about 4.5 Mt in 2000. The table below gives the proportions by
market sector75 :
Table 30 : UK consumption of plastics by sector (2000)
Sector
per cent
Packaging

37

Building & construction

23

Electrical & electronic

Automotive & transport

Furniture & housewares

Agriculture & horticulture

Leisure, toys & sport

Medical

Mechanical Engineering

Footwear

Other

Total

100

73- Recyclage des matires plastiques en Suisse Expos de la position de lOFEFP Office Fdral de lEnvironnement, des Forts et du Paysage
Berne 7/2001
74-Recyclage des matires plastiques en Suisse Expos de la position de lOFEFP Office Fdral de lEnvironnement, des Forts et du Paysage
Berne 7/2001
75- Waste Watch (2003) Plastics in the UK economy by Recoup for Waste Watch

89

WASTE PLASTICS RECYCLING A GOOD PRACTICES GUIDE

BY AND FOR LOCAL & REGIONAL AUTHORITIES

The UK Governments Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)76 estimated in
1999 the municipal waste stock in England and Wales to 480 kg/inh/y, from which 29 kg (6 per cent)
were made of dense plastics and 24 kg (5 per cent) of plastic films. DEFRA reported that only 3 per
cent of the total waste plastics was recycled in the UK in 1998.
Burstall77 estimates that the plastic films waste in the UK is estimated to 1,000,000 t/year or 17
kg/inh/year, from which 150,000 t/year (2.5 kg/inh/year) is recycled. Sixty percent (i.e. 10.2 kg) of
those films waste have a domestic origin. The waste plastics from ELV is estimated to 240,000 t/year
(4 kg/inh/year) and those from E&EE waste to 220,000 t/year (3.7 kg/inh/year).
Norway: Plastic Packaging
Data estimates for the amount of waste plastic packaging discarded in Norway for 2002 exclude
special waste packaging, drinks containers and refuse sacks.
Table 31 : Plastic Packaging Waste Generation in Norway (tonnes)
Household
Trade
Agriculture Fish rearing
TOTAL
& Industry
industry
Plastic Film

39,400

25,000

7,000

Rigid Disp. Pack.

20,700

4,500

500

100

1,700

800

PP bags
Reusable Packaging
TOTAL

1,500

72,900
25,700

1,600

4,200

4,100
60,200

35,400

4,200
8,300

3,100

107,000

Denmark: PVC in the C&D sector

The Danish EPA estimated in 1997 that, from a total of 34,000 tpa (6.5 kg/inh/y) PVC waste, the
recoverable potential of PVC construction and demolition waste is around 10,000 tpa (1.9 kg/inh/y),
from which 4,100 tpa is hard PVC (window frames, pipes). PVC flooring wastes are estimated to
3,600 tpa and PVC waste cables to 1,000 tpa. The supply of PVC goods for the entire sector is estimated at 45 50,000 tpa (8.69.5 kg/inh/y).
Belgium: Household Packaging Flows78
In Belgium, the plastic packaging waste fraction from households is made up of:

Table 32: Composition of household plastic packaging in Belgium

Kt
Kg/inh/y
per cent
PET bottles

43.7

4.37

34

HDPE bottles

15.7

1.57

12

Total bottles

59.4

5.94

46

Other plastic packaging

69.6

6.96

54

Total

129

12.9

100

76- Waste Strategy 2000 England and Wales Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions - 2000
77- Mark Burstall Vice Chairman BPF Recycling Council Ltd
78 Extension de la fraction plastique collecte par FOST Plus - Analyse des consquences dune ventuelle extension du scnario de collecte, tri et
recyclage FOST Plus Mars 2001

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