| Work Detail |
ugust 29, 2017 by Kirstin Linnenkoper
United Kingdom: If you say the word electronics you automatically say plastics. However, because e-scrap plastic is largely considered an unattractive material by recycling players a European project worth EUR 9 million (US$ 11 million) has been launched to put e-plastics firmly on the recycling radar.
he Post-Consumer High-tech Recycled Polymers for a Circular Economy (PolyCE) project will demonstrate the feasibility of ‘circular plastics’ in the e-scrap industry.
‘In particular, PolyCE will elaborate a harmonised set of technical requirements addressing the entire value chain and develop a grade system for recycled plastics according to their material properties and final application suitability,’ it is explained.
A total of 20 government, non-profit and for-profit organizations from nearly a dozen countries are working together on the project, which is predominantly by the European Union. Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute will oversee the initiative. ‘While the system for metals recycling is already well established, the rising volumes of waste plastics point to stalemates in the current plastics economy, which hamper its shift to a more circular model,’ project partners note.
They strive to ‘strengthen’ the market for recycled plastics through an online platform integrating the different plastic grades. Additionally, PolyCE will provide guidelines for designing new electronics products with recycled plastics.
The project’s impact will be scaled up by involving target cities and their green public procurement initiatives. |
