Circular economy, over 30 thousand tons of polyethylene recovered in one year

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The collection of plastic waste grows and doubles. And, the data of the Ecopolietilene consortium (consortium for the recycling of waste from polyethylene goods), speak for themselves: in the last year, the data relating to the recovery of materials exceeds 30 thousand tons. These are the numbers and the trend that characterize the activity of the body made up of manufacturing companies, distributors and recyclers of polyethylene goods. Numbers that consolidate, as the promoters underline, a constantly growing business.
«The path of consolidation of the consortium continues – says Giancarlo Dezio, general manager of Ecopolietilene -. And it continues in the wake of profound attention to companies which, in compliance with the Epr principle, the extended responsibility of the producer, are called to take charge of the management of the waste that their products generate».

25 percent increase

As for the numbers, in 2022 the consortium saw the number of consortium companies grow by 25 percent, which today reaches 147. “Manufacturers, importers, brand owners and distributors” to join the body.

For the managers of the organization, the 30,198 tons of waste from polyethylene goods managed in collaboration with Ecolight Servizi “represent an important step forward”. In its second year of activity (the consortium was recognized by the Ministry of Ecological Transition in June 2020), Ecopolietilene increased the quantities managed by 117%, reaching over 8,500 missions throughout Italy.

«61 percent of the collection involved flexible polyethylene goods, i.e. waste such as waste collection bags and covering and mulching films used in agriculture and breeding; the remaining 39% is represented by rigid goods such as, for example, pipes, nets and boxes used in construction, but also chairs and tables, housewares and objects used in restaurants and collective catering – adds the general manager -. The traceability system put in place by our autonomous system allows us to state that all 30,000 tonnes have been sent for recovery through the affiliated plants, thus giving new life to a material that is precious due to its characteristic of being entirely recyclable”. .

Projects to improve collection

In the last year also the development of projects to improve the collection of waste in goods from polyethylene. «In particular, two pilot projects were carried out for the identification of waste of polyethylene goods in urban areas, in the provinces of Treviso and Salerno, to understand which types of waste are given to the municipal ecological islands and start experimenting with their separate collection – concludes Dezio -. Our goal is to improve collection to improve the quality of waste that is sent to recovery plants and thus enhance the circular chain of polyethylene goods”.