FACT SHEET

Use of Recycled Plastics in Food Grade

Applications
Introduction

It is possible to use post consumer recycled (PCR) plastics in a wide range of high specification
applications including food contact packaging.

Several factors support this application including:

! Mandatory recycled content legislation in some countries
! The drive to create ‘closed-loop’ recycling
! The potential for reducing the packaging costs
! The need to find and develop large, high value applications for recycled polymers
! Advances in technology
! Market competitiveness

Industry has developed three routes for the use of PCR plastics in food contact applications:
! Feedstock recycling
! Multilayer extrusion
! Superclean recycling processes

Post consumer recycled PET can now compete economically, in some cases, with virgin PET in
applications such as bottles; as a result bottles with PCR content are now used commercially around
the world, including the UK. Pilot schemes involving the use of recycled HDPE in applications such as
bottles are currently in progress.

UK legislative background
In the UK there is no legal barrier to the use of recycled plastics in food contact applications as long as
it meets broad requirements which: “…aim(s) to keep food safe and wholesome by requiring that
contact materials and articles, such as packaging do not transfer their constituents into food so as to
endanger health or affect food quality”.

Recycling post consumer plastics for food contact applications

Three approaches have been developed for the recycling of post-consumer plastics for food contact
applications.

Feedstock recycling

Recovered polymers (possibly including those originally used for non food-contact applications) are
broken down to chemical precursors, which may then be purified and repolymerised to give new
polymers (see Recoup Factsheets: Feedstock recycling of mixed polymers and Feedstock recycling of
PET). Four US companies’ chemical recycling processes were granted US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approval in the early 1990’s; DuPont (methanolysis), Eastman Kodak
(methanolysis), KoSa/Hoechst Celanese (methanolysis) and Shell (glycolysis).

Multilayer extrusion processing

High quality mechanically recycled food grade polymer, such as that derived from in-house scrap or
drinks bottles, is sandwiched between two layers of virgin polymer.

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 Chemical contamination present in the post consumer scrap must not migrate to the foodstuff.
Extensive testing involving the deliberate introduction of a range of model contaminants into the PCR
PET middle layer of a multilayer PET bottle, followed by testing under specified conditions has
demonstrated the action of PET as a functional barrier. Multilayer PET bottles are now well
established, having received ‘non-object’ for food contact applications in several markets including the
UK.

The US FDA granted a ‘Non-Object’ for multilayer PET containers to Continental PET technologies in
1993. The US FDA requires a 0.025mm thick inner virgin PET layer to prevent food contact by the
inner PCR PET layer.

The Continental PET Recycling RPET content bottles were used by Coca-Cola in Australia and New
Zealand, individual EU countries (Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland) have also approved the
multilayer principle. Schmalbach-Lubeca PET Containers (Wrexham) took over production of Multi-
layer bottles from Continental PET Europe.

Plysu Recycling pioneered multilayer extrusion processing of HDPE in the early 1990’s and the
technique is now used to produce PCR HDPE in non-food containers such as motor oil containers.

Superclean recycling

Several organisations have developed proprietary processes using both mechanical and non-
mechanical procedures to recycle high quality post consumer material, producing polymer suitable for
use in monolayer applications.

The first two processes to receive USEPA ‘non-object status’ were:

! ‘SupercycleTM PET developed by Amcor PET Packaging
! EcoclearTM developed by Wellman

‘SupercycleTM PET developed by Amcor PET Packaging, was the first mono-layered ‘super clean’
mechanically reprocessed PET to obtain FDA ‘non-object’ for direct food contact in 1994.
TM
Supercycle PET has been produced at the 9000tpa capacity Novi, plant at Michigan, US since 1994,
for use in the US, Australia and Europe.
TM
A second Supercycle plant was opened in Beaune, France in 1998. This site has now been
expanded as a result of co-operation between Amcor PET Packaging and the Bühler Technology
Group. The resulting new recycling system is the first of its kind worldwide and has enabled the plant
to almost treble production volume, from 6,000 to 15,000 tonnes per annum, while significantly
improving its cost effectiveness.

Wellman, have developed a process based upon mechanical sorting and chemical / thermal cleaning
TM
to produce ‘Ecoclear ’, a clear and colourless PET based product granted ‘Non-object’ by the US
TM
FDA for use at up to 100% recycled PET content in food applications in 1996. Ecoclear is now
being produced in Holland and used in beverage bottles in the UK.

Other processes have subsequently received ‘non object’ status from the US FDA and further
processes are currently under review. Various suppliers of equipment, including Erema and Buhler
have also received FDA approval.

Experience with food contact PCR PET

The commercial use of PCR PET in food contact applications was pioneered by Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

Coca-Cola initially used bottles with chemically recycled (Hoechst methanolysis) PET content in the
US in 1991. Coca-Cola have used multi-layer bottles, supplied by Continental PET in Australia and
New Zealand since 1993 and in Switzerland and Sweden since 1995.

Coca-Cola introduced food contact RPET bottles to the UK in 1992, primarily to demonstrate that it
was technically possible and to encourage European chemical industries to produce food contact

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 recycled PET. Initially chemically recycled PET was imported from the USA, but because of the high
costs incurred this approach was superseded by multilayer bottles. Coca-Cola stopped using RPET
bottles in the UK in 1994 because of the falling price of virgin PET and difficulties encountered
obtaining sufficient quantities of high quality post-consumer PET from the UK. Multilayer bottles are
currently used by Coca-Cola in other European countries including Switzerland and Belgium. The use
of PCR PET bottles in the UK remains a medium to long term objective of Coca-Cola (GB).

Coca-Cola are committed to plastics recycling, in their eKOsystem Brochure, which summarises their
environmental management system they state:

“Operations set annual goals for continuous improvement in waste prevention and
recycling” and “…give purchasing preference to products made entirely or partially of
recycled materials…”

Today, one in four PET containers sold by The Coca-Cola Company in North America contain
recycled content.

Pepsi have used PET bottles made from recycled material supplied by Shell Polyester, Akron, Ohio
TM
(chemically recycled, PET) and Johnson Controls’ (mechanically recycled, Supercycle PET).
Recycled PET (RPET) bottles were used primarily in Florida and California before environmental
legislation in both states lapsed.

Like Coca-Cola, Pepsi are also committed to plastics recycling stating in “Our Commitment to the
Environment”:

“Pepsi-Cola has a goal of placing 10% recycled content in all its plastic bottles in the US
by 2005.”

Experience with food contact PCR HDPE

In 2002 an innovative recycling project “Green Cycle” was introduced to Northern Ireland. The pilot
scheme, operating in Armagh, Newry and Dungannon uses reverse vending machines to collect and
shred plastic milk bottles.

The shredded plastic is then collected, granulated and fed through a superclean recycling process to
ensure that any remaining impurities or contaminants have been removed. The material then passes
through an extrusion process, producing food grade granules. The food grade granules are mixed
with a small percentage of virgin granules before being moulded once more into milk containers.

The Fraunhofer Institute in Germany has subjected Green Cycle’s process to the most rigourous
testing and examination, meeting with the demanding standards of the European Union’s health and
safety requirements for food use containers. Formal approval from the US FDA now looks set to
follow, giving Green Cycle world-wide accreditation.

Summary
Initially chemical recycling appeared to be the most promising route for recycling post consumer PET
to food grade quality. Over the last decade however, the costs of the alternative recycling routes have
come down and these now appear to be commercially preferred.

Technical advances mean that PCR PET can now compete competitively with virgin PET in
application such as bottles. The commercial success of all these processes in the long term is directly
dependent upon the ability to produce preforms at a cost equal to, or below that of those made with
virgin polymer.

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 Useful contacts
Department for Environment Food and Norplas
Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Website: http://www.norplas.co.uk
Website: http://www.defra.gov.uk E-mail: info@norplas.co.uk
Email: helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk Address: Manor Farm House
Address: DEFRA Helpline Gosbeck
Department for Environment, Food Ipswich
and Rural Affairs Suffolk
3-8 Whitehall Place IP6 9SH
London Tel: 01449 761841
SW1A 2HH Fax: 0 1449 761761
Tel: 08459 335577
Norplas represent a number of companies,
Fax: 020 72708419
providing machinery and solutions for aspects
Further information on legislation in Great of the recycling and reuse of polymers.
Britain relating to the food contact materials
and articles is available from DEFRA. Erema
Website: http://www.erema.at
British Plastics Federation (BPF)
E-mail: erema@erema.at
Website: http://www.bpf.co.uk Address: Engineering Recycling und Anlagen
Address: 6 Bath Place Ges.m.b.H
Rivington Street Unterfeldstraße 3
London P.O.B. 38
EC2A 3JE A-4052 Ansfelden/Linz
Tel: 020 7457 5000 Austria
Fax: 020 7457 5045 Tel: +43 / 732 / 3190 - 0
Fax: +43 / 732 / 3190 - 23
The British Plastics Federation is the principal
trade association for the UK Plastics Industry, Erema’s PET recycling technology
representing polymer producers, suppliers and “VACUREMA” received FDA certification in
processors in addition to additive and November 2000.
machinery suppliers and manufacturers.
Detailed guidance on the application of Buhler
legislation relating to plastics in contact with
Website:
food is available from The British Plastics
http://www.buhlergroup.com/tp/en/default.asp
Federation.
The products resulting from the Buhler process
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
meet the specific requirements for food
Website: http://www.fda.gov applications, such as FDA approval, or other
Address: Food and Drug Administration country specific requirements.
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville Amcor Limited
Maryland 20857
Website: http://www.amcor.com
The FDA's mission is to promote and protect
the public health by helping safe and effective Amcor is a leading global packaging company
products reach the market in a timely way, and with annual sales of approximately A$11
monitoring products for continued safety after billion. Amcor offers a broad range of plastic,
they are in use. fibre, metal and glass packaging products,
PET containers, plastic and metal closures,
Environmental Data Services (ENDS) along with packaging-related services.
Website: http://www.ends.co.uk
Address: 40 Bowling Green Lane
London
EC1R 0NE
Tel: 020 7814 5300
Fax: 020 7415 0106
ENDS provides European environmental news

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