Closing the Loop for PET Trays
Tray-to-tray recycling is becoming a recognized approach for advancing circularity in plastic packaging, especially for food-grade applications.
The PET tray stream has long been underutilized: around one million tons enter the EU market each year, yet about 70% is still lost. Recent EU legislation such as the SUPD and PPWR is now driving change and encouraging manufacturers to develop dedicated recycled PET sources beyond bottles.
Key barriers remain complex tray designs, contamination and limited collection infrastructure. Progress is emerging through advanced sensor-based sorting. Technologies like TOMRA’s AUTOSORT™ and flake-level systems distinguish mono- and multilayer trays, target contaminants and help achieve the quality required for food-contact use.
With improving infrastructure and technological development, tray-to-tray recycling is positioned to grow from an early-stage solution into a core pillar of circular packaging systems.
Source: TOMRA (01.12.2025)
