Modern MRFs - what’s next for materials segregation, separation and recycling?

Materials market concerns

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that China’s closure of its low grade and mixed plastics markets to all overseas material streams was rocking the sector and making headlines far and wide globally. But, the current COVID-19 pandemic has somewhat overshadowed the global markets debate in recent months.

However, the continuing ripple effect of China’s market closure, and the significant restriction of end markets, can be seen from Australia to the UK, with many authorities and their contractors reassessing the mix of materials collected at the kerbside, and how their processing sites operate, to minimise contamination and maximise the opportunity to secure the available end markets for HDPE and PET (such as milk bottles and water bottles) in particular.