The European Market for Plastic Sorting and Recycling

The demand for plastic recycling plants in Europe will increase significantly. By 2025, sorting and recycling plants with an estimated capacity of 5.2 million tons will be commissioned, German consulting firm ecoprog GmbH has found out.

This is a growth of 25 percent; the number of plants will increase by about 300. Within the waste management sector, recycling will thus be one of the most important growth markets in the next years. As reported, Europe has almost 1,200 active plastic sorting and recycling plants. However, this portfolio will not be large enough as recycling becomes increasingly more important.

The EU Waste Framework Directive will be the main market driver. By 2020, 50 percent of the plastic in municipal solid waste have to undergo material recovery. “Almost no EU member state has yet reached this goal, which creates financial challenges for many countries,“ ecoprog said.

More information: www.ecoprog.com/en/publications/waste-industry/plastic-recycling.htm

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