By Plasteurope.com correspondent

Plastics recovery audit scheme RecyClass (Brussels; www.recyclass.eu) has released a new version of the Design for Recycling Guidelines for all plastic packaging streams. It said it had commissioned an intensive testing earlier this year to align the structure of the guidelines itself.

The guidelines basically offer the industry an insight into the compatibility of different elements of packaging, such as caps, labels, or adhesives, with given recycling streams. 

The review conducted this year included a restructuring of the decoration sections in particular, in order to clarify the impact of inks and labels on recycling, RecyClass said. 

It said it wanted to provide the industry with the latest recommendations for improving circularity of plastic packaging particularly after the recent legislative developments in Europe.

Related: RecyClass turns its attention to E&E, automotive

The updated version of the guidelines was also the result of investigations it conducted with independent testing facilities regarding the behaviour of common packaging technologies during recycling processes. These tests were based on standardised methods, as described in the RecyClass Recyclability Evaluation Protocols.

Notable additions to the guidelines include a more precise definition of adhesives for labels on HDPE, polypropylene, and polystyrene rigids, along with updated recommendations for polyolefin foamed liners for HDPE. A technical review of HDPE tube size sorting will also be available following the results shared by Stina (Sonoma, California, USA; www.stinainc.com).

For polyethylene films, EVOH/metallisation and laminating adhesive combination can now be directly certified without testing, provided they follow the recommendations found in the guidelines. Additionally, PP-based plastomers are now recognised as fully compatible with the PE stream if they represent up to 15% of the total weight of the packaging. 

When it comes to PET bottles, the design for recycling recommendations have been refined with a better definition for clear, light blue, and coloured transparent PET bottles, together with additional guidance on closures of the same material.

Related: RecyClass approval for three PET bottle UV barrier additives

The latest design recommendations have been integrated into the RecyClass Online Tool and the RecyClass Recyclability Certification Schemes. 

The plastics recycling auditing scheme said that ongoing testing campaigns will soon be concluded, which further enhance the RecyClass Design for Recycling Guidelines on TPS, adhesives, inks, and PVOH, among others.