ReCiReK

Plastic waste becomes plastic again on the spot

The aim of this project is to maximise the valorisation of high-grade plastic residual flows - namely PP, PE and PS - from the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. The pharmaceutical industry and healthcare sector are economically important and substantial in Flanders and have large quantities of high-quality plastic materials from used packaging. For this project, we mainly want to focus on trays and disinfectant bottles.

More specifically, we will focus on the flows of packaging materials from the Pfizer company on the site in Puurs. Every year, the company brings some 200 tonnes of packaging materials to a recycling processor on a limited selection basis. There are two problems with this: the weight per shipment is very low (mainly air is transported), and the existing recycling lines are not finely meshed enough to take full advantage of the value of the materials delivered. There is therefore downcycling and a loss of value.

In the ReCiReK project, we work with various stakeholders to test a model in which we granulate (grind into granules) these plastics very locally and on a very small scale so that they can be reused immediately as high-quality plastics.