The case in summary: The research center Norner and the company Pointbreak have developed a method to chemically recycle plastic waste by turning it into pyrolysis oil, a raw material for new plastic production. The EU has tightened the rules for plastic waste, and by 2030 plastic packaging that cannot be recycled will be banned. Over half of all plastic waste must be recycled. A factory for chemical plastic recycling is to be built in Treungen in Telemark, with the capacity to receive between 7,500 and 10,000 tonnes of plastic a year. The WWF World Wide Fund for Nature believes that the most important thing is to use less plastic and focus on reuse, and that chemical recycling is not the solution to the plastic problems. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. A successful attempt from beaches in Asia could help solve the big plastic problem in the world. After over a year of testing, the research center Norner in Porsgrunn and the company Pointbreak have managed to find a method to chemically recycle plastic waste. This happens by turning the plastic into pyrolysis oil. – It becomes raw material for new plastic production, and in that way we are able to use waste plastic, says Rune Johansen, operational manager at the company Pointbreak. By turning the plastic into oil, the raw material it once was, the recycling is complete. Plastic waste like this from a beach in Indonesia has been used to develop the new method of chemical recycling. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news The EU tightens the rules for plastic In 2019, the world’s plastic consumption was almost 460 million tonnes, according to Our World in Data. Every year between one and two tonnes of this plastic ends up in the sea and affects wildlife and ecosystems. But now the EU is tightening the rules for plastic waste. On 24 April, the new plastics directive was approved by parliament. By 2030, plastic packaging that cannot be recycled will be banned. In addition, more than half of all plastic waste must be recycled. To manage this, ordinary recycling is not enough, says sustainability director Thor Kamfjord at Norner in Porsgrunn. Thor Kamfjord in Norner says that you cannot recycle plastic into eternity only in the usual way, you must also recycle plastic chemically. Photo: Gry Eirin Skjelbred / news – That plastic may have been recycled so many times that the quality is too poor to be used again. Therefore, we have to use so-called chemical recycling. Then we take the plastic back to the original building blocks so that it is as good as plastic from fossil sources. He says much of the plastic packaging, plastic from construction, construction and cars is suitable for recycling in this way. Samples sent to major players In order to show that this works on a large scale, a factory will be built in Treungen in Telemark. At the Pointbreak plant, a compact process plant for chemical plastic recycling will be built that can receive between 7,500 and 10,000 tonnes of plastic per year. These facilities will then be set up both in Norway and in the rest of the world. Samples of the pyrolysis oil from chemical recovery have already been sent to major global players for assessment. – But is this process expensive to use? – Both normal recycling and chemical recycling will be more expensive than the plastic we make from fossil sources today. But sustainability has a price that is worth paying, Kamfjord believes. Are you good at recycling plastic? Lars Tore Endresen / news Mariama Marong- I try to recycle, but believe there is not so much plastic anymore because much is now packed in cardboard. Lars Tore Endresen / news Anja Østerhus- I recycle the plastic as best I can every day. Lars Tore Endresen / news Arvid Egeland- It’s not me who does it, but I usually deliver the waste for recycling Companies must prepare The stricter requirements that will come to recycling, it is important that companies are prepared for already now, says the managing director director of NHO, Ole Erik Almlid. NHO director Ole Erik Almlid got to see the pilot plant for chemical recycling at Norner in Porsgrunn. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news If not, they may be out of the competition in a few years. – We will see that quite clearly. When the requirements become stricter, it will be too late to think about it the day before. It is important to be on the lookout and work well against the changes coming. – Not the solution to the plastic problems WWF The World Wide Fund for Nature believes that the most important thing is to use less plastic and focus on reuse. – Chemical recycling can be innovative, but it is not the solution to our plastic problems, says Silje Woxholth Sørfoss, senior advisor for plastics at WWF. Silje Woxholth Sørfoss in WWF says chemical recycling is not the solution to the plastic problems in the world. Photo: WWF She says there has been talk of chemical recycling for some time internationally, and WWF believes that a number of requirements should be set to ensure that this does not have negative consequences for either the environment or local communities. – We are concerned with choosing the solution that is best from an environmental perspective. She highlights the global and legally binding agreement to stop plastic pollution, which will be finalized in South Korea in November. Within six years, plastic packaging that cannot be recycled will be banned within the EU. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news The negotiating mandate was adopted in the UN Environment Assembly in 2022, and Norway has a leading role in the negotiations. – We want a ban on unnecessary plastic products and harmful chemicals. There must also be clear design requirements for plastic products and packaging that we will continue to use in the future, so that they can be reused and the material recycled. Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue Published 22.06.2024, at 11.56 Updated 22.06.2024, at 11.58
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Chemical recycling of plastic will save the environment – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
