end of life management

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End of life management

PLA (polylactic acid) is a plastic that can be used to package consumer goods or manufacture disposable objects. Just like all the plastics used in these two applications, it can be processed in the recycling systems (global site) under development in all European countries.

These recycling systems comply with EU Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste, amended by Directive 2008/98/EC, the aims of which are: • Reduction of packaging waste at source by optimising the thickness of such packaging, based on the properties of the plastics and the technical specifications of the packaging for this purpose. • Reuse: mechanical recycling by selective sorting of household or industrial waste for reuse in another application (e.g. PET and PEHD). • Energy recovery at state-of-the-art waste processing plants.

In addition to the conventional methods, PLA has the distinctive feature of increasing the end-of-life management options. This biopolymer, which is formed from a renewable raw material, is also:

• Industrially compostable and biodegradable in accordance with the EN 13432 standard. This means that it can be used to manufacture bags for garden waste or rubbish bags for organic waste. Composting will be done at industrial composting plants.
• Suitable for depolymerisation by the action of heat and water to selectively produce lactic acid, the initial raw material of this plastic. This method needs setting up a special collection network or plastic waste sorting involving the deployment of new, more selective separation techniques. This method is being demonstrated at industrial pilot scale. Galactic, Futero’s partner in the joint venture, markets a complete PLA collection, transport and recycling solution under the LOOPLA® name.