Recirculation potential of post-consumer /industrial bio-based plastics through mechanical recycling - Techno-economic sustainability criteria and indicators

Abstract

The sustainable circular bioeconomy turns biogenic waste and residues into renewable resources to produce added value bio-based materials. According to the recent, Circular Economy Package EU legislation, mechanical recycling offers the best alternative EoL option for bio-based plastics in a complementary way with chemical recycling, with the latter taking over materials inadequate to be mechanically recycled. Techno-economic sustainability analysis (TESA) criteria and indicators to assure the feasibility and viability of mechanical recycling of post-consumer bio-based plastics, and the recirculation potential of the recovered material, are proposed based on the evaluation and synthesis of research results selected though a critical literature review. Organic recycling is considered as a preferred EoL option for post-consumer biodegradable bio-based plastics only when these products are found to be non-recyclable by the proposed TESA criteria. Environmental and social sustainability criteria, that constitute the other two pillars of sustainability, are not considered in the present work, but need to be included to complete the sustainability assessment of any End of Life (EoL) option. The proposed techno-economic sustainability criteria for mechanical recycling include: a) Mechanical recyclability, b) Economic viability, c) Common environmental/techno-economic criteria and also d) Recirculation potential of the materials recovered. Specific indicators are proposed as metrics for assessing the corresponding criteria.