With a view to preserving the environment, we have decided to set up a collection, sorting and recycling system and thus integrate the circular economy.
Solutions for collection, sorting and recycling
Waste collection / Extension of sorting instructions
The first essential step in developing packaging recycling is to collect it from consumers. Once collected, the packaging is sorted and sent for recycling.
Thanks to the collective efforts of citizens, town councils and manufacturers, we are able to increase packaging recycling.
Collection : 99.5% of packaging waste is collected in France thanks to the waste collection system set up by local authorities throughout the country. However, in some countries, waste collection needs to be supported and developed.
Sorting : Since 1993, packaging sorting has been developed in France and Europe. This has made it possible to develop packaging recycling.
Increasing the sorting of packaging is a major challenge if we are to have more material to recycle. That's why we're introducing innovative new systems to mobilize the public and increase packaging and paper collection.
As far as plastic packaging is concerned, we first developed the recycling of bottles and flasks, which are now very easy to recycle. For some years now, we have been developing the recycling of other plastic packaging.
All this is possible thanks to the extension of sorting instructions!
Since January 2019, in Paris, residents have been able to put all plastic packaging in their yellow bins. By the 1st quarter of 2019, 24 million French people were able to sort all plastic packaging, and by 2022, all French people will be able to do so.
The more we collect, the more we can develop recycling channels for plastic packaging such as yoghurt pots, ham trays etc...
Waste collection and sorting with Europackwine
Since January 2021, Europackwine has been working on setting up a collection system for used EPS polystyrene from its customers. Once the bags are full, Europackwine will include their collection in its delivery rounds. The bags are then sorted and recycled for use in the manufacture of Europackwine packaging.
Today, Europackwine wine packaging is 100% recyclable. biomass (for more info, Click here), they will also be 100% ecological which means :
- It is beneficial, safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle,
- It meets today's performance and cost criteria,
- It is extracted, manufactured, transported and recycled using renewable energies,
- It is manufactured using best-practice clean production technologies,
- It is made from materials that remain healthy throughout their life cycle,
- It is physically designed to optimize the use of materials and energy,
- It can be efficiently recovered and used in closed biological and/or industrial cycles.
The technology was developed by POLYSTYVERT, a Quebec-based company that is now changing the game. The process is truly efficient: by immersing polystyrene in a natural oil that acts as a solvent, it liquefies, and in liquid form, 10 times more polymer can be transported between the collection site and the recycling plant, making it far more advantageous.
At the plant, technologies are in place to separate the polymer from the solvent, recover it and turn it into new granules ready for reuse. There's no need for new fossil fuels: we recover what already exists! And the oil can also be recycled. Major impacts on our resources and GHG emissions!
Polystyrene can be recycled more than 40 times before its quality is compromised. What's more, the technology removes contaminants from the plastic, and removes the HBCD contained in up to 600 tonnes of this plastic every year.
"We'd really like to see the polystyrene life cycle loop closed once and for all. This kind of initiative gives us hope and should have the full support of the industry to achieve effective polystyrene management".
So, thanks to this new perspective on post-consumer polystyrene processing, POLYSTYVERT is currently in talks with sorting centers to get them to separate plastics 6 from other materials collected. We contacted Claire Holzer, Environmental Analyst and Project Manager at POLYSTYVERT, to find out more.
"Regarding service to citizens, polystyrene is not yet accepted in the selective collection (the blue bin). We're working hard to find a solution that works for all stakeholders so that this service can be provided to citizens. But it's still in the preliminary stages.
On the corporate side
POLYSTYVERT offers a cartridge concentrator, ideal for department stores and companies that use a lot of polystyrene. Scrap is inserted into the machine, broken down, and a truck picks up the cartridge once it's full. This saves companies up to 80% in waste management costs.
"Regarding how the POLYSTYVERT process works, we install on site, where the polystyrene waste is generated, and our module dissolves it. This equipment can be installed in any location with polystyrene waste (e.g. household appliance stores, furniture stores, grocery stores, etc.).
POLYSTYVERT is now targeting the Ontario, Europe and USA markets.
Conclusion
EUROPACKWINE is in the process of setting up a collection scheme for polystyrene packaging from all its voluntary customers, so that it can be recycled into new polystyrene packaging. In the future, if these collection operations prove successful, we'll be considering a partnership with POLYSTYVERT.
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