What is Recyclate? Options in Plastic Recycling and Distinction from Virgin Material

Use of recyclates: status quo in Germany

The recycling of plastics is becoming increasingly important in Germany in order to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste. Currently, around 50% of plastic waste is recycled, while the rest is utilised for energy recovery or sent to landfill.

In order to increase the recycling rate, the Packaging Act was therefore introduced in 2019, which obliges companies to make their packaging more environmentally friendly and ensure its disposal.

The use of recycled plastics is also becoming increasingly popular. The circular economy should be supported by optimum packaging design (design for recycling) in order to minimise the environmental impact and at the same time ensure optimum product packaging - ideally with the highest possible proportion of recyclate.

What is a recyclate?

Recyclates are products that are created through the recycling process and are literally described as "reintroduced into the cycle". They are obtained from various materials such as glass, paper or batteries.

In the context of plastics, recyclate is recycled plastic material such as PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene) or PET (polyethylene terephthalate) that has already been disposed of once by households or businesses and is now used again to manufacture new products.

This closes the material cycle. Plastic recyclates exist in the form of granulate, flakes or powder and are regarded as secondary raw materials.

There are two main types of recyclates:

1. Post-industrial recyclates (PIR) or pre-consumer recyclates: these are created from excess plastic waste generated during the production of plastic packaging or other plastic products.
2. Post-consumer recyclates (PCR): In contrast, PCR consists of recycled plastic waste that has been used in households, industry or commerce and subsequently disposed of via the yellow bag or yellow bin.

Recyclates: challenges in plastic thermoforming

The use of recyclates always makes sense from a recycling perspective. However, the processing of recyclates is also associated with challenges that need to be taken into account, especially in the case of visually or technically sophisticated thermoformed products:

No uniform colour standards

Plastics based on recyclates do not have uniform colour standards. Various regenerative components are mixed during the manufacturing process, which means that no RAL colour shade is possible.

For example, the colour palette for "PS Regenerat black" ranges from anthracite to black and for "PS Regenerat white" from a yellowish to a bright white. There is therefore no guarantee of colour accuracy.

Processing

Recycled materials can be less reliable to process than virgin material. This is because recyclates can come from a variety of sources and have different compositions from batch to batch. This can lead to variations in material properties, such as melting point, flow behaviour and mechanical properties.

During the recycling process, materials may be subject to some degradation, especially if they have been recycled several times. This degradation can lead to a deterioration in material properties.

Due to the differences in material composition and quality, different processing parameters may be required to process recyclates effectively. This includes changes to the processing temperature, speed or compressed air.

As a result of the changing parameters for recycled material, recycled material may have a higher reject rate and longer cycle times compared to new material in order to achieve a similar quality. Chipping of the milling edge is also a more or less common problem with recycled material, depending on the quality of the material.

Surface quality

Due to the variety of raw materials used, there is no guarantee for the surface quality of the deep-drawn part.

Complex moulds with the use of recycled materials can be problematic. This is a particular problem with deep-drawn parts, such as plastic housings, where aesthetics play a role.

Problems that can occur on the surface are

• Air pockets
• Small bubbles

No material data sheet

It is important to note that the exact origin of the various recycled components is not always known. It is therefore not possible to guarantee the absence of silicone. Important: The mechanical properties of individual extrusion batches can usually be determined using laboratory samples. This no longer applies to the next series from a different material batch.

This means that there is no material data sheet available that can be used to trace the origin of the plastics.

Overview: Comparison of recycled plastic and virgin material

How is recyclate produced?

The conversion of waste into recyclates takes place in a multi-stage process. To produce recyclates, recyclable plastic products such as packaging are first disposed of in the Yellow Bag or Yellow Bin rather than in residual waste, meaning that they are recycled at least once. The pre-sorted waste is then taken to recycling centres where it is separated by type of plastic and colour using modern sorting systems.

Once the used plastic has been sorted by type, further processing steps follow. The used plastic is pressed, shredded or both are carried out one after the other. It is then thoroughly cleaned to remove foreign plastics or other foreign materials. The recycled plastic is then ready for further use.

What is the difference between recyclate, regranulate and reclaim?

Recyclate is the generic term for regranulate and reclaim.

Regranulate: Depending on requirements and subsequent use, it may be necessary to produce regranulate from the used plastic. Recycled pellets are obtained from recyclable plastics without additives - from the ground, shredded plastics via a melting process.

Regenerate: Regenerate is also produced by a melting process (compounding). By adding additives, various properties of the materials can be defined and customised according to requirements.

Recyclates in thermoforming

In the thermoforming sector, recycled plastic is used as a raw material for the production of plastic films and sheets by means of plastic extrusion, which can then be used for the thermoforming of plastic.

How is recycled material labelled?

To label plastics that have already undergone a recycling process and are therefore different from primary plastics, the letter "R" is often placed in front of the material name. For example, rPET, rPP, rHDPE, rLDPE and so on. In this context, the "R" stands for "recycled" and is often written in lower case.

Legal requirements for recyclates

• REACH Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 - REACH conformity
• RoHS Directives (EU) No. 2011/65 and Annex ⅠⅠ according to Directive (EU) No. 2015/863 - RoHS conformity
• All requirements of Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation regarding restrictions
• The Waste Framework Directive (EC) No. 2008/98:2018 on waste
• The GS specification AfPS GS 2019:01 PAH for category 2 - Other consumer products

Plastic recycling with formary

Plastic thermoformed parts are fully recyclable. All production waste, such as punching and milling waste, is collected and returned to the material cycle. New granulate is produced from these remnants, which in turn is used for the production of new films and sheets.

The post-consumer cycle is outside the direct control of formary, as proper disposal must be carried out by the end user. If the end user is a company, all parts can be fully recycled at the end of their useful life. Therefore, formary takes back old thermoformed parts and reuses them.

ℹ️ In our configurator, you can specify whether your plastic should be made from recycled material. Under "Material" you have the option of using recycled material as the desired plastic option for your thermoformed product.

The use of recycled plastics - a summary

The use of recyclates is widespread in the thermoforming industry and is seen as an important step towards a more sustainable use of plastics. Thermoformers generally utilise the leftover material from thermoforming and grind it up to produce the plastics as recyclates for the re-production of thermoformed parts.

However, there are still challenges in the production of high-quality plastic products, which can have sources of error, particularly in terms of aesthetics. It is therefore always worth consulting specialists if you want to use recyclates or bioplastics for your thermoforming project.

If you have any questions about the use of recyclates, please contact us! We will be happy to help you.