RePETition project aims to expand circular economy

Leading Austrian companies are joining forces in the RePETitio project, following an initiative from Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen to prove that PET waste other than PET bottles can successfully be recycled into new high-quality products.

Beginning in June 2019, PET household waste such as blister packaging, thermoformed trays, and films will be collected and sorted into a total of six materials types.

The subsequent high quality flake production, including washing and shredding, will be conducted by Kruschitz.

The PET flakes will then be reprocessed and decontaminated using NGR’s Liquid State Polycondensation process, where both rPET granulate and rPET sheets will be produced.

During the LSP process, the rPET is decontaminated at the molecular level and the polymer chains are extended to increase the intrinsic viscosity.

Teufelberger uses the rPET to produce strapping with high mechanical strength requirements.

Greiner Packaging produces bottles and thermoformed trays for food and non-food applications, before the products made of rPET and compared with those made of virgin PET.

The RePETitio project is scientifically backed by the Transfercenter für Kunststofftechnik.

RePETitio is planned to run until September 2020 and is financially supported by the Upper Austrian government with funds from the Innovative Upper Austria 2020 strategic economic and research programme.

Thomas Puchler, Managing Partner of NGR, said: “Together with the Upper Austrian plastics cluster, we were able to initiative this project with leading Austrian companies and see the benefit above all in the lively dialogue to strengthen the recycling economy with PET waste that has so far been little used.”