The InReP project focuses on the two dominating polymer types – polyolefins (PE/PP) and PET. By developing various technologies and progressing the processes from sorting to recycling of plastics, InReP will boost the availability of high-quality recycled materials which fits the industrial needs.
Plastics are a valuable material with functionalities that serve a sustainable society. Unfortunately, the situation now is that most of the plastic waste gets incinerated because it is impossible to sort and recycle them sustainably. The part that does get recycled often does not allow high-quality reuse. Only PET plastics from bottles can now be recycled again to PET bottles for food packaging. Other packaging plastics and packaging types are not suited for this.
To ensure proper recycling we need to develop new and environmentally friendly sorting and recycling technologies. When the recycling process is taken into account in the design phase of plastic packaging and products, the collection, sorting and recycling processes that follow can be adjusted accordingly. This will allow for plastic waste to be made into high quality recycled materials and be reused in production processes.
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