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Closed Loop Recycling, a U.K.-based plastic bottle recycling company, has launched a campaign that seeks to significantly boost the collection of plastic bottles in London. Closed Loop says around 1.8 million metric tons of post consumer plastics are generated each year in the U.K, 580,000 metric tons of which consists of plastic bottles. As part of its campaign, Closed Loop Recycling is urging the government to review the current PRN/PERN (packaging waste recovery note/packaging waste export recovery note) system, saying that it favors overseas shipments versus domestic recycling.
Around half of all PET bottles in Europe were collected for recycling in 2011, according to a new report from European plastic recycling trade bodies EuPR and PET Containers Recycling Europe (Petcore).
The extra 140 Kilo tones collected in 2011 represent a further 5.6 billion bottles to be recycled. The PET industry chain has worked with compliance agencies, national bodies and European recyclers to achieve the record collection of nearly 1.6 Million tones of PET bottles.
“Recycled PET is a reliable and sought-after feedstock in the PET value chain and sustainable, long life uses are being developed to utilize the growing supply of recycled PET. Whether PET bottles are recycled into another bottle, fiber, sheet, strapping tape or one of the new applications the energy saving will be significant.
Meanwhile Beijing's vast army of plastic-bottle scavengers will get an automated rival later this month, when the city introduces its first reverse vending machines that pay subway credits in exchange for returned containers.
More than 100 recycle-to-ride devices will be installed in an attempt to reduce the environmental impact of the informal bottle collection business and improve the profits of the operator, which works in an industry thought to be worth billions of dollars.
With the machines, the firm hopes to collect directly from the public and generate extra revenue from government subsidies and sales of advertising shown on the machine's screens. Waste-trade experts are skeptical that the same business model will work in China, which already has a vast and highly competitive PET recycling industry. "In the west, recycling is seen as a green activity. Incom says, however, that environmental benefits should be considered alongside economic factors.
Our real need is to complete a comprehensive recycling system."
image: made-in-china.com
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