Borealis, Ecoplast invest in recycling film plastics

Borealis Group, Vienna, and Austria-based Ecoplast have celebrated the successful conclusion of a strategic investment at their plastics recycling location in Wildon, Austria. Ecoplast processes plastic waste from both domestic and industrial consumers into high-quality recyclate, and now its existing production capacity has been boosted with a polyethylene (PE) film recycling line. According to a news release from Borealis, the new plant improves operational procedures and raises the output of recycled material.

Borealis acquired Ecoplast Kunststoffrecycling GmbH in August 2018 in addition to mtm plastics GmbH and mtm compact GmbH, which are large European producers of postconsumer polyolefin recyclates in Germany. The Ecoplast company in Wildon processes postconsumer plastic waste into high-quality recyclate, which is headed primarily, but not exclusively, for the plastic film market. According to a news release from Borealis, this investment was planned prior to the company’s purchase.

The new mechanical recycling system at Ecoplast employs a fully automatic process for the preparation and comminution of plastic wastes, as well as optimized washing technology and improved near-infrared (NIR) sorting steps, Borealis reports. Owing to their different chemical compositions, the various types of plastic absorb NIR waves and can be classified with a high degree of homogeneity. This not only reduces the amounts of waste, but also raises yield and permits more economic operation plant operation.

“Ecoplast’s key competence lies in the recycling of flexible materials from extremely contaminated household and commercial refuse into a product that is suitable for the production of thin-walled film packaging,” says Lukas Intemann, Ecoplast’s managing director. “The new plant enables us to enhance our recycling capability in both a qualitative and quantitative regard, whereby our customers profit from a significant increase in capacity and a high and above all consistent quality.”

This investment comes in response to rising market demand for recycled material and facilitates a 60 percent rise in production capacity, Borealis Group reports in a news release on the investment. This meets the market need for low-density polyethylene (LDPE) recyclate, which is the preferred raw material for film packaging, while securing unchanged top-quality levels.

“Borealis sees the drive towards a circular economy as a top priority,” says Lucrèce Foufopoulos-De Ridder, executive vice-president polyolefins and innovation & technology at Borealis. “The investment at the Ecoplast location is a key step to attain our circular economy solution targets and brings us a step closer to our objective to quadrupling our recycling production by 2025.”

Also, click here to view a video of the Ecoplast facility.