A total of 56.2% of plastics waste in building and construction (B&C) was diverted from landfill in 2010 through a combination of recycling (20%) and energy recovery (36.2%) in the member states of the European Union (EU27) along with Norway and Switzerland.
This represents a significant increase on a total recovery rate of 51.9% in 2009, continuing the positive trend in waste management of plastics in the B&C sector. This is the principal finding of an independent study into plastics B&C waste in the EU27 commissioned by PlasticsEurope, the trade body representing European plastics manufacturers.
The study shows the relatively limited proportion of plastics B&C waste becoming available in relation to overall plastics waste. While the building and construction sector used 20% of overall plastics production, it was responsible for only 5.5% of total plastics waste in 2010. This can be explained in part by the low levels of use of plastics in the past and the long life span of many plastic applications in the B&C market, which can extend up to and over 60 years in the case of pipes or window profiles.
Source: PRW.com
By Anthony Clark