1.7 Reprocessing capacity 2020
This section makes a review of the current UK capacity to reprocess waste.
1.7.2 ELV & WEEE reprocessing capacity
1.7.1 UK plastics packaging re-processing capacity
The plastic types found in ELV and WEEE are similar to the main polymers targeted for recycling, being PP, PS and ABS. These materials are often separated in a primary shredding or fragmentation operation as part of the treatment phase and then size reduced further and separated to a bulk ‘mixed plastic shred’ secondary raw material, prior to the final reprocessing and extrusion stages.
The ‘UK Household Plastic Packaging Sorting and Reprocessing Infrastructure’ report (2020) by RECOUP identified 16 reprocessors who manufacture washed flake from household plastic packaging. Although their capacity is 440 kT, the operational output capacity is 230 kT (some C&I will be included in this although outside the scope of the report). The difference between the estimated output and operational output is important as capacity and feedstock availability and flow is never exact; operations change as well as commercial conditions and contract variations, so this does need to be considered. Within this capacity is 65 kT (at the start of 2020) of plastic reprocessing capacity to produce food-grade flake and pellet. This includes 35 kT of food grade PET pellet and 30kT of food-grade HDPE. There is currently no data on film recycling capacity in the UK, and this is an area which needs to be addressed to understand additional capacity needed. The capacity given is an estimate with an error margin and is based on the capacity of main companies recycling film.
Household packaging capacity
The number of players and operating sites involved in local collection and primary waste treatment for ELV and WEEE products in the UK is very large. However, the number of advanced plastic sorting and refining facilities able to complete the final recycling stages is small (i.e. less than five large sites), due to the fact they are large scale and highly capital intensive. These facilities will normally process a mix of WEEE and ELVs. The installed capacity was estimated following a series of direct interviews with the four leading companies. At that time (Q2 2019), the companies were working at about 70% of their maximum capacity (input volume about 100 kT). Output polymer compound was estimated at about 50 kT pa. This reflects the high losses found in these complex separation processes with highly mixed, dirty plastic infeed streams.
440 kT pa
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Film capacity
150–200 kT pa
Installed capacity for WEEE and ELV reprocessing plants
120–140 kT in 2019
BPF RECYCLING ROADMAP WHERE ARE WE NOW?
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