Demonstration project concerning the recycling of the paper / plastic fraction from municipal waste

The project is to demonstrate the technical and economical feasibility of the recycling process for the paper/plastic fraction of municipal waste, including: - savings in the use of raw materials for paper and plastics (the achievement of the policy targets); - the increase of waste processing and the incineration capacity; - the production of re-usable products from municipal waste. The volume of municipal waste generated in the European Union is estimated at about 140 million tonnes per year. Within this municipal waste, paper and plastic represent a valuable fraction. Presently this fraction is being incinerated with energy recovery. From an ecological point of view, a higher level of recycling would be preferable in order to save raw materials. Therefore, the Dutch Government has set recycling targets of 35% for plastics and 80% for paper/carton, to be reached by 2001. Packaging materials represent the major portion of the paper/plastics fraction of municipal waste. The targets imposed on the (packaging) industry reveal the need for a cost-effective recycling system for waste paper and plastics. The VAM, one of the major waste processing industries of the Netherlands, is to design, construct, install an innovative recycling system for the paper and plastic fraction in municipal waste, and to test it on an industrial scale (140 kton/annum). The process comprises the wet separation of the paper fraction (as pulp) from the plastic fraction. The plastic fraction is then split in a poly-ethylene-rich fraction and a mixed plastic fraction. The separate fractions are then processed, upgraded and re-used. Within this process, the latest proven techniques are applied/combined.