The European polyurethanes industry recovers and recycles about 80,000 tonnes of process waste a year, but recycling of post-consumer waste remains its greatest challenge, says Claude Bastian, recycling project manager of the industry association ISOPA (Ave E van Nieuwenhuyse 4, B-1160 Brussels). In the first study of its kind in Europe, ISOPA opts for incineration with energy recovery as the best recycling option for polyurethanes at present. Market opportunities for recycled material and the lack of a collection/separating infrastructure continue to act as a barrier to commercial development of the various technically feasible options for recycling PU.

ISOPA has published a Fact Sheet "Recycling polyurethanes - evaluating the options", which explains the evaluation system which is has developed, covering the recycling methods of granulate bonding, thermoplastic processing, compression moulding, chemical recycling, feedstock recovery and incineration with energy recovery. Technical, economic and logistical, safety and social criteria are involved in assessment of each method.