The 7th international "Recycle 94" forum, held in Davos, Switzerland in March and organised by Maack Business Services (MBS, Moosacherstr 14, CH-8804 Au) developed into a plea for increased material recycling of plastics. Although in Germany the impression has been created, intentionally or unintentionally, that material recycling is being handicapped (see Plasteurope.com No. 06), the international speakers in Davos came to quite a different conclusion. During the lively discussions considerable emphasis was laid on the present and future importance of plastics material recycling. An industry expert commented to PIE: "Material recycling - certainly not at any price. However we have certainly not exhausted all reasonable possibilities. Secondary plastics materials will certainly cut into the market share of virgin material to a significant extent."

This year's "Recycle" conference had significantly less visitors than in 1993, particularly from Germany. MBS boss Dipl.-Ing. Horst Maack explained this as due to the recession, worldwide priority on recycling, though, still being very high.

Wavin BV (PO Box 173, NL-8000 AD Zwolle), the largest European plastic piping manufacturer, is also the largest European plastics recycler. According to Roel van 't Veer in Davos, the Wavin group produces 73,000 tpa of recyclate. This is completely reworked into Wavin products piping, film and containers (e.g. bottle crates). Van 't Veer spoke on the topic of "PVC stategy and recycling of pipes".

Park benches are not the only product made out of recycled "mixed plastics", according to the US company Hammer's Plastic Recycling (RR 3, Box 182, Iowa Falls, IA 50126, USA). Their product range (brochures: PIE-No. 35704) includes intelligent products for marine application, as well as leisure and construction.

Remaplan Anlagenbau GmbH (Fasangartenstr. 4, D-81737 Munich) exhibited novel reusable pallets in Davos, manufactured from plastics waste by Remaplan-injection pressing technology. – Brochure (English): PIE-No. 35705.

The Entwicklungsgesellschaft für die Wiederverwertung von Kunststoffen mbH (EWvK, Rheingaustr 190, D-65203 Wiesbaden) demonstrated a new detection system for fast identification of engineering thermoplastics in used plastic parts on their stand. This solution to the problem resulted from a joint project between the EWvK, BMW, the Joint Research Committee of European Motor Manufacturers, and Bruker Analytische Meßtechnik GmbH (Wikingerstr 13, D-76189 Karlsruhe). – Press release with pictures and brochure: PIE-No. 35706.

The world famous ecological balance expert William E. Franklin (Franklin Associates Ltd, Prairie Village, Kansas, USA) spoke on the theme "HDPE reusable containers and corrugated boxes - a life cycle inventory and comparison of reuse and recycle" (presentation: PIE-No. 35707). This lecture gives a great deal of important information relevant to the European discussion of ecological balance of packaging materials.

The Ettlinger Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH (Messerschmidtring 49, D-86343 Königsbrunn - Sales office: Bodelschwinghstr 2, D-76275 Ettlingen), who exhibited on the EWvK stand, showed a number of exhibits, injection moulded from plastics waste. A special Ettlinger lecture dealt with the topic "Injection moulding of mixed plastics - new developments and trends" (German, with pictures and tables: PIE-No. 35714).

The approximate 100 lectures (all in English) are contained in an extensive Handbook, exclusively available from KI-BOOK-SERVICE; DM 580,- plus postage/VAT, PIE-No. B 35703.