Separate collection: 6 things to know about the correct recycling of plastic. Corepla takes away all doubts

    Separate collection: 6 things to know about the correct recycling of plastic. Corepla takes away all doubts

    Ballpoint pens, markers, toys, etc. they are not packaging and therefore should not be placed in the separate collection while the bottle caps are "packaging accessories" and can instead easily follow in the separate collection the container they are used to seal.


    He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

    Recycling yes, recycling no. Understanding what the rules are for making a correct one collection it is not easy, for this reason, we decided to ask for some more information on plastic recycling from the National Consortium for the collection, recycling and recovery of plastic packaging waste, COREPLA.




    He answered us Gianluca Bertazzoli, Head of Communication and External Relations of the consortium. From prevention to proper behavior at home, here's how to make no mistake about plastic.

    Let's start with a question that many of us have asked ourselves at least once.

    ARE THERE PLASTIC MATERIALS THAT CANNOT BE RECYCLED?

    Technically - Bertazzoli explains - all plastics taken in isolation are recyclable. In concrete terms, however, packaging also ends up in the separate collection flow which, for various reasons, in fact cannot be sent for recycling or is only partially recycled.

    Seen in detail, the reasons are: the dimensions of plastic waste (too small), the contamination (residues of the content), the inseparable coexistence of several materials even plastics incompatible with each other in the recycling phase and the scarcity of material (we recycle so little ...) that it makes industrial management of a dedicated flow impossible.

    For the "mixed plastics”- continues Bertazzoli - management is recording continuous and interesting progress in the sector. At the moment, these plastics are only partially recycled while the remainder is still recovered in the form of energy and heat turning them into alternative fuels used in full safety and environmental compatibility mainly in cement factories and thermal power plants to replace non-renewable fossil energy sources.

    At this point another question arises.

    IF PLASTICS ARE SO DIFFERENT, DO WE HAVE TO DIFFERENTIATE THEM?

    Separate collection is done primarily at home, separating the plastic packaging from others waste and then give them to the collection service according to the procedures established by the Municipality and by the manager of the service itself. The selection by type of plastic, however, is made in the industrial phase at the end of the harvest.



    We can make our contribution by following the procedures established by the Municipality or by the reference manager. In fact, it may happen that the joint conferment more types of waste (for example plastic, aluminum and steel packaging). In this case we are talking about "multi-material collection”Where, downstream, the different materials are separated in special plants. However, plastic packaging is then sent to an accurate industrial selection phase by type of plastic, obtaining PET bottles transparent, blue and colored, polyethylene bottles, film e bags also in polyethylene, mixed plastics.

    AND IF WE FIND US AT THE SOCKETS WITH BIRO, PLASTIC CAPS AND DISPOSABLE DISHES, CAN WE RECYCLE THEM?

    For plastic, the collection only concerns that of packaging (the packaging is an artifact expressly designed to contain, protect, transport goods) - Bertazzoli specifies. This is not so much a technical problem as an economic one: the collection and recycling system is largely based on an environmental contribution (it is not a "public" tax, but a private contribution system decided and managed directly by companies through the National Packaging Consortium-CONAI) which affects only the packaging in the various materials.

    Since in the case of plastics the costs of collecting, sorting and managing waste tend to exceed the value of the selected packaging that is sold to recyclers, this would mean to burden only on packaging producers the costs also for the management of other plastic products that do not pay the contribution.

    Given the above, biro, markers, toys, etc. they are not packaging and therefore they should not be placed in separate collection and the bottle caps are "packaging accessories" and can instead easily follow in the separate collection the container they serve to seal.



    Finally, as regards the disposable tableware, these can be packaging (when they are used to administer food and drinks that are purchased at catering outlets) or "non-packaging" (when they are purchased separately and used in the home), moreover they often present strong critical issues from a qualitative point of view for notable organic residues (which would create sanitation problems in downstream recovery plants) that can accompany them.

    For these reasons at the moment it is better not to throw them in the separate collection, even if experiments are being launched to evaluate the possibility of management and recovery.

    TO AVOID THE PROBLEM OF ORGANIC WASTE, IS IT RECOMMENDED TO WASH THE CONTAINERS BEFORE THROWING THEM IN THE WASTE?

    All plastic packaging delivered to the collection service must be emptied and not show any evident residues of the content. However, it is not essential to wash them - Bertazzoli recalls - (a laborious and environmentally not very compatible operation both for the consumption of water and energy than for the discharges of detergents).

    AMONG THE MANY ACTIVITIES, COREPLA HAS A PREVENTION PROGRAM. WHAT DOES IT CONSIST OF?

    The prevention of the formation of packaging waste is one of the declared purposes of the Consortium. In this field the structural interventions are entrusted to manufacturing companies and users of packaging who, with their design, technical and marketing choices, can do a lot to reduce the quantities of raw materials used and to put on the market packaging that is ever more easily recyclable.

    COREPLA therefore maintains close contact with companies to provide information and assistance. In the field of prevention, however, great progress has been made in recent years: for example in a decade the weight of PET bottles for mineral water has dropped by a third and, in general, with the same functional performance or even with improved performance, all plastic packaging has significantly reduced their weight. Finally, it should not be forgotten that a continuous improvement in the performance of plastic packaging is underway, so in addition to weight reduction (and less weight also means less consumption and fewer emissions during transport), thanks to the packaging itself the storage capacity of food increases, significantly reducing the waste of perishable foodstuffs.

    AND US, WHAT CAN WE DO TO BE AN ACTIVE PART OF THE CHANGE IN PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT?

    The consumer acts on two levels: in the shops when you buy, choosing products with environmentally friendly and recoverable packaging, as well as avoiding the lure of "overpackaging", and then when it produces waste at home and manages the "end of life", separating the different types in the best possible way, following the indications received and always remembering that the quality of separate waste collection (which is basically only a tool, albeit the most suitable) is essential to activate the virtuous industrial chain leading to membership recovery and recycling (which represents the sole purpose of the entire operation).

    COREPLA is the national consortium for the collection, recycling and recovery of plastic packaging waste. It is a private non-profit entity, which performs functions of social interest. Among these, ensuring the achievement of the quantitative objectives established by law for recycling and recovery with regard to plastic packaging and paying the municipalities the higher costs incurred for carrying out the separate collection services of the same, indispensable precisely to reach the actual recycling.

    Approximately 2.700 companies: all producers of plastic materials for the manufacture of packaging and all producers of plastic packaging who have not created a system for the recovery of their own packaging placed on the market (in practice, almost all of these two participate in COREPLA categories of companies), as well as, in a completely voluntary form, users of plastic packaging / importers of packaged goods and packaging recyclers.

    The Consortium is by definition national: it collects the separate waste collection carried out in more than 7.100 Municipalities, For 57.000 di citizens engaged, and initiates the selection of the material collected in 37 plants scattered throughout the national territory.

    add a comment of Separate collection: 6 things to know about the correct recycling of plastic. Corepla takes away all doubts
    Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.