Analysis and reporting of current multi-layer food packaging in the waste streams in Europe
Creators: name: Suez (France)
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: flexible food packaging
food packaging
flexible packaging
circular plastics
packaging
plastic packaging

description: In the frame of CIRCULAR FoodPack project, the composition of flexible packaging waste was determined in the sorted bales of representative sorting sites in three European countries, Belgium, France, and Germany. This present study was performed from June 2021 to February 2022 as part of the task 2.1 of the Work Package 2 – Collection and Sorting. The aim of this study is to support the development of an efficient Tracer-Based-Sorting (TBS) process that enables the reliable sorting of food grade Multi-Layer Composite (MLC) from post-consumer flexible packaging and a Sensor-Based-Specification (SBS) to characterise and select fractions from current End-of-Life (EoL) packaging management most suitable for downstream recycling.

Five types of materials’ bales and a batch of sorted refusals were studied; in Belgium and France, flexible packaging are currently sorted in one type of materials’ bales. In Germany 3 types of bales are sorted, considering their material composition: the Low-Density PolyEthylene (LDPE) films sorted in a specific stream of plastic films with the sorting fraction reference number 310, flexible polyolefin plastic materials (trays and labels) in the specific reference with the sorting fraction number 323-2 and the mixed plastics – lightweight packaging under the sorting fraction reference number 352.

Quantities of 60kg to 200kg of packaging waste were sampled from the different materials’ bales and bulk of refusals, and characterised, following the recommendations of European and French standards dedicated to household waste in bulk and bales. To assess the composition of the packaging waste, the samples were manually sorted and classified according to a first level of classification: Food / Non-Food packaging and then according to the type of contents leading to the sub-categories identified in both categories. 13 sub-categories were identified in the Flexible Food Packaging, and 10 sub-categories in the Flexible Non-Food Packaging waste.

The mass percentages of flexible packaging determined in the Belgian, French, and German 310 bales were respectively 76%, 93% and 81%, which correspond to the highest quantities of flexible materials in bales and mainly to PE fractions of non-food packaging (more than 80%). The two other German bales, with the sorting fraction numbers 323-2 and 352, presented lower quantities of flexible packaging with respectively 49% and 27%, and with more food packaging (51% and 60%) in comparison to German 310. The sorted refusals of the French sorting site presented only 13% of flexible packaging, and it consisted of mainly food packaging (65%). The quantities of recovered lightweight, flexible plastic packaging are directly linked to the household packaging collection rates, managed by Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes in these European countries.

Concerning the food packaging categories, the same main sub-categories (frozen food bags, packaging of bakery products, ready meals, fresh products, meat and fish products) were identified in the Belgian, French, and German 310 bales with similar order of magnitude in mass % (between 1% and 4%). Only for ready meals, and sweets and snacks packaging, more waste was present in the German and Belgian bales respectively. The 2 German bales, with the reference sorting fraction numbers of 323-2 and 352, consisted the packaging of ready meals, fresh products, pet food, instant dry products, dairy products, coffee, tea and cocoa products, and mostly, the sweets and snack products with the highest mass % for the food categories (respectively 8.7% and 11.4%).

The non-food flexible packaging constitutes the main proportions of the Belgian, French, and German 310 bales with 3 major sub-categories: industrial films packaging, collection bags due to the collection modes established in these countries, and secondary packaging for beverages. Some features were also noted with the presence of plastic tarps in the Belgian bale due to the possibility to dispose such waste in the blue collection bags in Belgium; and the higher mass % of industrial films in the German reference 310.

Regarding the proportions of printed and not printed fractions of flexible packaging, a global trend is observed among the 3 European countries: food packaging are mainly printed ones and non-food packaging are composed of 2 groups of sub-categories, which are mostly printed ones and not printed ones. The not printed non-food packaging corresponds to industrial films, tarps, collection bags and small carrier bags, which are mainly PE fractions. For both packaging categories sorted in the bales of the 3 EU countries, a de-inking / delamination process step will be mandatory to recover the transparency of PE films as much as possible.

 

Note: This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101003806.