Closed smart loops for stretch films

In this project, we have investigated the possibilities of sorting packaging, pallet stretch film, stretch hood and shrink hood into cleaner fractions than sorted out today. All these films are used to protect goods that are transported on pallets. The films are mostly sorted together as flexible plastic that is recycled into garbage bags. If the different films can be sorted into different fractions, they can be recycled into a new similar film in a closed loop. The demand for sorted material is great because Trioworld, which is one of the world's largest film manufacturers, aims to use 30% recycled material in all their products. We have investigated the possibilities of sorting different types of plastic film at two different types of businesses, the Västra Götaland Region's Depot in Sisjön, distributing goods to the region's hospitals and health centres. The other business was Inovyn, manufacturing plastic raw material. The collections were sucessful and VGR managed to increase the stretch film content in the flexible plastic stream from 82 to 96 %. Material properties such as strain at break for blown film increased from 535 to 604% in machine direction. Trioworld judged the sorted material to function in a closed material loop for production of new stretch film. The biggest obstacle was the paper labels with the addressee put on the plastic film, impossible to remove easily. When re-melting and compounding the plastic, paper labels burn and clog the melt filter in the equipment. In addition, the mechanical properties deteriorate due to the label contamination. The solution is to use plastic labels or use glue that comes off in hot water and can be washed off. In the VGR sorting the labels were cut off to show the potential for recycling well-sorted pallet stretch film without paper labels. Inovyn had no labels in their sorted films. They separated their flow of flexible film in three fractions, stretch hood, shrink hood and stretch film. A significant improvement was for example observed for the shrink hood where the elongation increased from 326 to 414% on blown film in the machine direction. The material fractions were 100% correctly sorted. On a workshop the project partners discussed challenges and obstacles to make a closed loop work. To make recycling work in practice, the type of labels needs to be changed. Logistics and retrieval of different material fractions separately is needed. The inhouse collection worked, but waste collectors and logistic companies need to be involved in future project to overcome the obstacles.