In Practice: How Value Is Created

What is currently possible in plastic recycling, and what is not?

At present, it is not possible to recycle plastics more cost-effectively than producing virgin plastic. But the technology is capable of much more. Many recycling technologies are ready for deployment and will advance rapidly once policymakers establish the right framework conditions.

At what stage of the process is it decided whether plastic can become a high-quality raw material again?

Quite simply: during the design and manufacturing of the product. If product design does not take future recycling into account, even the best recycling technology in the world will not be able to recover high-quality material in the end.

Which moment in the recycling process fascinates you the most?

The moment when, under vacuum and heat, the molecules bond together again. It is like the polymer chains shaking hands while all contaminants are drawn out of the material.

What does recycling mean for the public perception of plastics?

Recycling gives plastics their right to exist and removes the guilty conscience associated with buying them. Because virgin fossil-based plastic is extremely inexpensive, plastic is often perceived as having little value. Recycling restores that value.

Looking at plastic recycling, what do you think is most underestimated?

The enormous diversity of the material and the constantly increasing quality requirements for recycled pellets. This presents a major technological challenge. In recycling, plastics behave almost like a natural material: a baker has to adjust the recipe every time a new batch of flour arrives to ensure the bread turns out perfectly. In exactly the same way, we constantly adapt our machines to changing material streams in order to consistently meet the increasing quality requirements for recycled plastics.

Looking Ahead: Where New Opportunities Are Emerging

Which recycling technologies are already technically possible but have not yet gained broad market acceptance?

Almost all of them. If you look back at 25 years of the Green Dot system, the overall result is not something to be proud of. When you examine how much of the collected material actually returns to the same product, the numbers are disappointing. Most of it ends up in lower-value applications. We are still a long way from a genuine circular economy. A positive example is the PET bottle – it is truly recycled. However, in several countries a deposit system was introduced to give it economic value. This shows that policymakers must create the framework conditions for efficient and economically viable recycling. The technologies already exist.

Plastic waste is increasingly being recognized as a valuable resource. What technological contribution does NGR make to accelerate this shift in thinking?

Our contribution is the principle of “higher, better, faster.” That means continuously improving, becoming more efficient, and constantly challenging ourselves. The future lies in interdisciplinary collaboration. We need to give polymer chemistry a much greater role within mechanical recycling and integrate chemical modifications directly into the recycling process. Innovation arises at the intersections of multiple disciplines.

What will recycling machines need to do better in the future in terms of efficiency, economic performance, and recyclate quality?

We need to focus on automation and remove as much of the human factor from the process as possible. The recycling machinery industry is still relatively young and therefore less mature than many other engineering disciplines. Our machines need to catch up to that level of maturity, industrialize recycling, and significantly reduce production costs.

The interview was conducted by Claudia Wörner, Managing Director of yes or no Media GmbH.