Plastics that are more easily recyclable will be favoured by OEMs in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) following the introduction of the EU´s new “WEEE” directive, which will demand collection and recycling of post-consumer industrial waste. This is the message from Frost & Sullivan (London / UK; www.frost.com) in a new report entitled “Impact of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling Legislation on the Western European Plastics Markets”.

The new regulations dictate that manufacturers in all EU member countries must guarantee collection of used computers, refrigerators and other scrap from consumers, free of charge. Frost & Sullivan research analyst Lucia Castro Diaz says plastics that are easier to recycle will command better resale values. These include unfilled materials, unblended and crystalline polymers. However, she says plastics such as PVC that are not so easily recycled will progressively lose value. Additionally, coloured plastics that do not require paint or finish coatings will become more popular as the removal of coatings is time consuming.

According to the report, increased emphasis on recyclability is leading some additive producers to begin marketing products to improve the quality of recycled plastics. While some additives have been designed for specific functions, most of these products, such as compatibilisers and chain extenders, are based on familiar chemistries that are finding new applications, Diaz says some recyclers are reluctant to use them because the low price of recycled plastics makes their application uneconomical.

There have already been significant moves by recyclers to prepare for WEEE, which encourages mechanical recycling of plastics. In January, MBA Polymers of Richmond California and Austrian waste disposal and recycling specialist Müller-Guttenbrunn announced a EUR 17m investment in a recycling facility to be built in Kematen /Austria. The UK´s Sims Group expanded its plastics recycling franchise into continental Europe through the acquisition last year of Mirecn, based at Eindhoven / The Netherlands.