Post-Consumer Films Recycling Plant

Currently there are no viable methods for recycling post-consumer mixed flexible plastic packaging (MFPP) as existing recycling processes are focused on mixed rigid plastic feedstock. Current state of the art solutions present serious limitations that can severely affect their efficacy; mechanical recycling using near infra-red (NIR) technology struggles to detect multilayer flexible packaging which make up 30% of post-consumer MFPP; while chemical recycling produces nearly the same CO2 emissions for recycling 1 ton of plastic as incineration.

Our project looks to build a commercial demonstrator plant that takes in post-consumer MFPP waste and recycles it back into plastic packaging. The plant will process 25,000 tons of plastic a year, over doubling the amount of plastic film collected for recycling in 2019\. This will divert MFPP waste from environmentally harmful landfilling and incineration processes, reducing CO2eq emissions by 89% and 95% respectively per ton of plastic recycled.

Our main innovation is providing a process to efficiently separate this difficult post-consumer MFPP through our novel, disruptive BOSS technology, separating the multi-layer from the mono-layer flexibles to be recycled into high-quality consumer-grade plastic packaging. BOSS is a wet density-based separation technology developed by Impact Recycling (IR), capable of separating materials of minimal density difference. We have successfully adapted BOSS-2D to be used in separating two-dimensional MFPP achieving monolayer purities of 95% at pilot pre-commercial scale.

Following the BOSS-2D process, we will utilise our innovative and proprietary Plastic Recycling Enhancer (PRE) additive in the compounding stage to define and control the Melt Flow Rate (MFR) of the separated plastic material. By controlling the melt flow rate, the recycled plastic can be moulded back into high-quality consumer-grade plastic packaging, closing the loop on plastic packaging to create a truly circular economy. PRE also allows compounding at lower temperatures reducing thermal degradation and drastically improving recyclability of polymers over several lifecycles.

This process will make a significant contribution to helping the UK reach their plastic pacts target by 2025\. The BOSS-2D/PRE process unlocks the recyclability of previously unrecycled plastics and will substantially increase the recycled content in plastic packaging. In addition, IR are working with Tesco to incorporate the process into their pilot flexible plastic 'in-store' waste recycling collection scheme deployed in multiple stores across the UK. This scheme provides a significant feedstock source and a method to collect post-consumer plastic packaging that is presently intuitively placed in non-recyclable bins by the public.