Germany's plastic packaging waste treatment

In order to solve the world's three major crises of population, environment and resources, the world has set off a tide of environmental protection, resource conservation and sustainable development. Germany is at the forefront of this world trend and has taken the lead in establishing the Dual System Deutscheland (DSD), also known as the Green Point Company, a German two-way system marked by the "Green Dot", and has carried out fruitful work on the waste recycling. Have achieved satisfactory results. This article introduces the organization, operation and resource utilization of DSD.

Establishment and spread On June 12, 1990, the German government promulgated the first packaging waste disposal regulations - the "Packaging - Packaging Waste Disposal Act", which aims to reduce the production of packaging waste. For unavoidable disposable packaging waste, regulations must be reused or recycled. The regulations also oblige manufacturers to be responsible not only for products, but also responsible for the recovery of their packaging, and to instruct the companies engaged in transportation, agency, sales, packaging companies, and wholesalers to recycle the packaging after their use. It chose to delegate the responsibility for recycling to a recycling company that specializes in recycling. The DSD system is a company that specializes in waste recycling established in accordance with this Act. The scope of DSD recycling is limited to sales of packaging waste. In the packaging waste composition used in Germany each year, sales packaging accounts for 48.4% (lifepacking and commercial waste packaging), transportation packaging accounts for 26.8%, multipurpose packaging accounts for 14.7%, commercial and industrial 8.7% of packaging, 0.8% of household packaging, and 0.4% of harmful packaging. DSD is responsible for recycling of the largest proportion of the waste packaging, other packaging recovered by other recycling organizations, such as transport packaging recycling by the material recycling company PESY, industrial and corporate plastic packaging by RIGK Co., Ltd. responsible for recycling, metal The tinplate packaging is recycled by KBS, and the building material packaging and polyurethane foam plastics are recycled by POR. Co-existing with DSD Cologne's raw material recycling association Vfw also recycles its sales and packaging. It is Green Dot's main competitor.

According to statistics of DSD, the total amount of solid waste (garbage) produced in Germany in a year is about 400 million tons (including industry, construction, mines, and household garbage), and 40 million tons of domestic garbage is produced in residential areas. About 11.6 million tons are reused. German regulations stipulate that the recycling efficiency index for various types of packaging wastes ranges from 60% to 75%. Due to the excellent operation of DSD, in 2001, all kinds of packaging waste recycling indicators exceeded the regulations.

Under the influence of legislation on mandatory recycling of packaging waste, the European Union also passed the “EU Packaging Guidelines” on December 20, 1994. The Guidelines, like the German regulations, place priority on recycling. The order of packaging waste disposal is: reduction, recycling, material recycling (degradable materials that cannot be reused), incineration and energy reuse, landfill and composting; packaging guidelines require all member states All measures must be taken to establish a recycling system for waste packaging that uses recycling marks. Packaging manufacturers must use recycled packaging, and third-party recycling must pay for the use of environmentally friendly recycling marks. The Guidelines require member states to The waste recycling and utilization index is lower than the German regulations. In 2001, the recycling rate reached 50%. The recycling rate of each packaging material waste must be at least 15%. Countries that have adopted the “Green Point” recycling mark have since been spreading in the European Union and other countries and have reached 16 so far. They are: Austria (1993), Belgium (1994), Czech Republic (2000), France (1993), Hungary (2001), Greece (2002), Ireland (1998), Latvia (2000), Luxembourg (1995), Norway ( 2000), Poland (2002), Portugal (1997), Spain (1996), Sweden (2001), Canada (2001), United States (2001).

The use of the “Green Point” mark by the EU countries to complete the recycling situation is worse than that of Germany. The main reason is that the recycling rate of plastic packaging is low, and only four countries have reached the EU's packaging guidelines.

Organization and Operation DSD is a non-profit non-profit organization composed of nearly 100 production and sales companies and enjoys the tax exemption provided by the packaging regulations. The company has more than 300 employees. The three-member board of directors is responsible for the specific operations. It has three representatives representing packaging companies, packaging companies, sales shops, and waste management departments to form the supervisory body with the highest authority. In addition, an advisory committee is formed by political circles, business circles, research institutes and consumer organizations to mediate the work of the company as a medium for DSD and various social groups.

The DSD recycling company's nationwide recycling system is based on its contract with more than 500 private and waste management companies. It is a model that is not subject to geographical restrictions. At the same time, DSD is a privately owned organization that serves the public interest. Under the premise of national environmental policy requirements, in the form of fee-based operations, the interests of all parties in the local government, waste management departments, and recycling companies are coordinated, and the responsibilities and responsibilities of all parties are clearly defined so that the recovery can be carried out smoothly.

DSD company issued a "green dot" logo for the packaging companies and importers entrusting them with the recycling of packaging waste and charged them. Charges are calculated according to the weight, volume and area of ​​the different types of recycled waste packaging.

Calculated by weight: 150.8 cents per kilogram of plastic packaging; 107.3 cents per kilogram of composite packaging; 86.4 cents per kilogram of beverage cardboard box; 76.6 cents per kilogram of aluminum packaging; 28.6 cents per kilogram of tin can Charge 20.4 cents per kilogram of paper/board packaging, 10.2 cents per kilogram of natural packaging material, and 7.6 cents per kilogram of glass packaging. From January 2002, the above fees have dropped by 11%.

Calculated by volume: <50 to 200 ml, charge 0.05 to 0.31 cent;> 200 ml to 3L, charge 0.36 to 0.46 cent;> 3L, charge 0.61 cent.

Calculated by area: <150 square centimeters to 300 square centimeters, charging 0.05 to 0.20 cents;> 300 square centimeters to 1600 square centimeters, charging 0.31 cents;> 1600 square centimeters, charging 0.46 cents.

After packaging companies and importers and trading companies fill out the form, they can use the “Green Point” logo registered with DSD. By the year 2000, DSD had owned 17,900 companies using its “green dot” logo, recovered 340 million tons of packaging waste, and carried out recycling, recycling and disposal.

DSD company recycling marks are used only on disposable sales packaging. Reusable packaging, such as beer bottles do not use the "green dot" logo, but by paying a "deposit" method for recycling. For packaging wastes with the "Green Dot" logo printed on them, DSD companies recycle them through "send" and "take" systems. For large amounts of glass (separated by green, white, brown), paper and cardboard waste, and corner waste, the company uses the “send” system to send the vehicle to the recycling processing company for recycling through the use of bins and bags. Recycling; For scattered packaging waste, the company sets up garbage collection bins (buckets) near residential and pedestrian corridors. The bins (barrels) are available in three sizes: large, medium, and small, and are selected according to need; bins (bins) Also divided into different colors, waste collection, blue bins (barrels) to collect cartons boxes, yellow bins (barrels) to collect all kinds of waste light packaging, such as plastics, composites, tin cans, cans and other waste packaging, Grey or brown bins (buckets) collect other debris.

Green Point’s average recycling of waste from residents in 2001 was 76.6 kg. Among them, glass packaging 30.0kg, light packaging 27.91kg, paper/cardboard packaging 18.7kg.

DSD two-way system for the recycling of packaging waste recycling operation description: Its use of recycling circle: packaging product manufacturers → sell the packaging to the production company for packaging or filling, the production company to pay a green point fee to the two-way system → production companies Disposable packaging products can be printed with green dot logos → handed over to the store for sale → consumer purchases → post-consumer scrap packaging Recycling by the Green Point company using its investment in a garbage bin → recycling companies contracted by Green Point or contractors will be scrapped After the material is collected, it is transported to the recycling plant → the production of recycled raw materials (or made into other products) → return to the manufacturer of the packaged product to produce recycled products.

Separation and recycling of waste paper In Germany, 75% of waste paper is newspapers and magazines, and 25% are paper and cardboard. The recycling of 214.6kg/person•year in 1999 has very good economic value for recycling. After the “send” and “take” systems were recovered, they were used in the past. The automatic waste paper sorting line is now used for sorting. After the waste paper is shredded, it is separated by weight (specific gravity) so that it can be sent to the company. The quality of recycled pulp after paper mills. If waste newspapers and magazines are mixed with 5% paper/paperboard, it will seriously affect the quality of high-grade pulp. Therefore, Germany has high requirements for the quality of sorting, and it is stipulated that the mixed paper must not exceed 1.25%.

Waste composite packaging beverage cardboard packaging aluminum plastic composite materials, its composition is 80% paper base, 16% of PE plastic, 4% aluminum foil. Germany recycles 130,000 tons of composite packaging every year.

The recovery and separation procedures are as follows: (1) After tearing and crushing the waste composite package, the waste composite package can be separated to form fiber pulp by using the characteristics of water absorption of the waste paper. After the fiber pulp is extruded into a large package, it is transported to Finland and Germany. The paper mills are making paper, which is welcomed by paper mills due to their long fibers and good quality. (2) After tearing and separating the paper, aluminum foil (aluminum oxide) and PE are not good enough to be separated, so most (75%) are sent to the cement plant as an additive for the production of cement; (25%) can also be pyrolyzed, and aluminum oxide remains after burning off the plastic PE (which can be used as a heat source).

Waste plastic packaging Germany used plastics: PE accounted for 61%, PP accounted for 18%, PET accounted for 9%, PVC accounted for 4%, EPS accounted for 2%. Its waste plastic packaging consists of 11% plastic bottles, 23% plastic films, 2% EPS, and 64% mixed plastics.

In addition to the ease with which PET can be recycled, recycling of other plastics is more difficult, and there is not a good market for other recycled materials after recycling. The German Ministry of Environmental Protection first required the chemical plant to undertake the task of plastic recycling. However, the plastic factory was uncomfortable considering the trouble and considering economic benefits. It only hoped that the waste plastic would be burned and landfilled, and the factory would still only produce and sell new plastic packaging products. Therefore, although the recovery organization was established, it only went bankrupt in only three years. However, the Ministry of Environmental Protection still insisted that chemical companies recycle and make tax decisions without recycling. The chemical companies had to entrust DSD with the responsibility for the recycling of used plastic packaging. The processing costs were borne by the chemical plastics factory. To this end, DSD has set up a DKR joint-stock company responsible for the recycling of waste plastic packaging.

At present, there are two methods for the recycling of waste plastics: (1) Raw material method, also known as chemical method: the crushing of mixed plastics—separation of impurities—cleaning—granulation—injection into blast furnaces instead of Heavy oil, pulverized iron as reducing agent CO, H2. (2) Material method, also known as physical method: Breaking the waste plastic film, bottle, and turnover box---separation of various types of plastics using up and down method, vortex method and centrifugal method---drying, plus some new Materials --- extruded into pellets --- production of recycled plastic products such as film bags, turnover boxes, pipes, garbage bags, sandals, hangers, etc.

With the improvement of separation and regeneration technology, waste PET can now be used to regenerate food containers, but the separation must be pure. Germany and France have produced infrared separation equipment that can be separated by infrared light to obtain highly pure recycled particles.

Source: China Plastics Magazine