Getting around by car is a common and, in many cases, a necessary habit for the vast majority of the population, especially for those who live in cities or on the outskirts of cities. However, the life of a car is not infinite. What happens when a vehicle reaches the end of its useful life? The automotive sector in Spain generates around 1.2 million tonnes of waste per year, of which just over 50% is produced at the end of the vehicle’s life, the rest being generated during its repair and maintenance operations.
This is not unknown to the regulatory bodies. According to the Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of life vehicles, a rate of reuse and recovery of at least 95% of the weight of the vehicle should be achieved by 2020. Due to the fact that plastic components currently account for around 20% of the weight of the vehicle, the recovery and recycling of the various plastic materials that make up the vehicle has become more important. So much so, that in 2019, the transformation of plastics in the automotive sector grew by 2.7%, according to the Plastic Annual Survey carried out by the Spanish Plastics Centre (CEP), which shows the gradual growth of the sector.
By 2020, a reuse and recovery rate of at least 95% of the weight of a vehicle should be achieved
Currently, the treatment of End-of Life Vehicles (ELVs) is carried out by Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs), which only carry out decontamination tasks. Subsequently, the shredders make a selection of the materials of interest, focussing on metals, so not all the plastic in the vehicle is recycled.
What initiatives promote plastics recycling in the automotive sector
To improve this issue, the Technological Institute of Plastics (Aimplas), coordinates, among others, the LIFE CIRC-ELV project. The objective is to implement a new value chain in Europe, technically and economically viable, in which these centres separate the tanks made of high-density polyethylene and polypropylene bumpers, both materials of high interest, before being crushed, in order to promote their recycling. According to data from Aimplas, this initiative is expected to reduce the carbon footprint of end-of life vehicles by a 75%.
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Regarding this issue, RepetCo Innovations also contributes its ‘two cents’ to the sustainability of the automotive sector as it has found a unique solution to recycle post-consumer PET/PE multilayer packaging. And thanks to their innovative and environmentally friendly technology, the different layers are separated, generating rPETs that are reused, amongst other industries, in the automotive sector
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