Alpla prepares Netherlands recycling site

Austria-based packaging and recycled plastics producer Alpla Group is working on “a future-proof solution” to produce recycled and food-contact-grade high-density polyethylene (HDPE) in the Netherlands.

Alpla says it has been evaluating a patented solvent-based process at a pilot plant in Heerenveen, Netherlands, in collaboration with the independent technological institute National Test Center Circular Plastics (NTCP), also based in Heerenveen.

The project, which is being funded by the Dutch Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth, will run for four years, with an eye on scaling up to industrial production by the start of the next decade.

Starting in 2030, packaging in the European Union must contain a minimum percentage of recycled material, prompting the Dutch project.

Following several years of R&D, the project partners are further evaluating the solvent-based process in Heerenveen.

Alpla says intensive testing of all process steps is being undertaken with an aim to obtain approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The construction and operation of the pilot plant will provide valuable insights for scaling up the process, according to Alpla, which has set up its own recycling company in the Netherlands.

"To date, there is no certified process in the EU for the production of food-grade HDPE recycled material,” says Michael Heyde, head of technology for Alpla’s recycling division. “Our highly efficient technology for cleaning and processing postconsumer recycled material could be a real game changer."

Alpla already produces polyethylene terephthalate and HDPE recycled material within its recycling division at 14 locations worldwide, with 400 000 metric tons of installed and projected capacity. The company reprocesses most of that material back into packaging, much of it for the fast-moving consumer goods market.

"This cooperation with Alpla fits perfectly to the core activities and mission of NTCP as an independent knowledge institute, to facilitate and accelerate technology developments with frontrunner parties,” NTCP CEO Martine Brandsma says.