Plastic packaging from waste to transformation into new products, necessary for the recycling industry to produce secondary raw materials. The protagonist of the XXX stage in Campania of the national campaign “I Cantieri della Transizione Ecologica” by Legambiente with COREPLA (National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of Plastic Packaging) is the virtuous experience of the SRI plant (Sorting Recycling Industries).
The Campania company, with a covered area of 14.000 mXNUMX and a capacity of storage With a capacity of 10.000 tons, it specializes in the sorting and recycling of plastic packaging and packaging waste from separate waste collection and is one of the leading European producers of rPET (recycled PET flakes), with a recovery capacity of 3.700 kg/h of raw material, equivalent to over 27.000 tons of post-consumer PET plastic bottles per year.
A good practice of the circular economy that tells the story of the success of the Campania region in the collection of plastic packaging: in 2023, 141.938 tons were collected, equivalent to 25,4 kg of plastic packaging delivered by each Campanian,
value above the national average (25 kg).
Moreover, Italy plays a leading role at European level in the sustainable management of plastic packaging: in 2023, thanks to the COREPLA supply chain, 707.225 tons of plastic packaging waste from urban separate waste collection were sent for recycling in Italy, and 513.329 tons of currently non-recyclable packaging were sent for energy recovery, used to produce energy instead of fossil fuels.
With a saving of virgin raw material equal to 11 billion PET bottles of detergent
from 1 litre and avoiding the production of 901.909 tons of CO2 equivalent, an amount
equal to 1.043 return flights Rome-Tokyo.
In the SRI plant, the plastic packaging recovery cycle begins at the “SRI Sorting” division for the selection and valorisation of packaging waste from separate waste collection (plastic, but also aluminium, steel, paper, cardboard and glass), capable of
process over 180.000 tons of materials per year, using automatic and manual sorting technologies.
The material then passes to the “SRI Recycling” division: a recycling plant capable of valorising over 27.000 tonnes per year of post-consumer PET plastic bottles which
produces high-quality recycled PET flakes (called RIPET) used in various industrial applications, including the production of new bottles, thanks to an EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) authorised decontamination plant.
Finally, the last phase is entrusted to the “SRI Logistics” division that offers storage and treatment services for R13 waste, preparing the materials for recovery and final recycling. This division manages the entire logistics process: from handling to pressing, from labeling to quality control.
“With the XXX stage of our campaign – says Giorgio Zampetti, general director of Legambiente – we have told a story of the South and innovation, capable of transforming waste into an important resource. A good practice that shows us how today it is absolutely feasible to move towards a model of production and consumption based on sustainability.
In order to move from virtuous experiences to uniform policies on a national scale, and to achieve the European objectives of reducing and recycling packaging, today greater investments are needed by companies in the innovation of materials and eco-design,
making 100% of packaging recyclable; it is also necessary to improve the waste management of local administrations, by adapting and increasing recycling plants; and greater awareness among citizens on how to properly separate waste,
first step to activate this virtuous cycle".
"Investing in the recycling and recovery of plastic packaging is not only an act of environmental responsibility, but an opportunity to create jobs, promote the circular economy, and enhance the local area," stated Corepla President Giovanni Cassuti. "With 25,4 kg of packaging collected in the last year by each citizen of Campania, a figure higher than the national average, this region stands out for its virtuous path that rewards the collective commitment to sustainability and consolidates the Italian model based on recycling."
Comments (1)
The topic of plastic packaging and how it is recycled is very important. Even though there is a lot of information, it seems that there is still a need for improvement in separate waste collection, especially in some Italian regions where it is not very effective.