EU Greenlights Controversial Chemical Recycling For Plastic Bottles

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Brussels: The European Union has officially greenlit a controversial chemical recycling process to expand the production of single-use plastic bottles. This newly approved policy allows chemically processed materials to count toward mandatory recycling quotas.

Currently, EU regulations require all single-use plastic bottles to contain at least 25 percent recycled plastic. This target will rise to 30 percent by 2030, a goal meant to support a domestic sector struggling against fierce competition from China and Asia.

Previously, only mechanical recycling techniques involving washing, shredding, and remelting were permitted to meet these legal quotas.

Environmental groups oppose the inclusion of chemical methods, arguing that heating plastics to extreme temperatures is highly energy-intensive and significantly more polluting.

However, the European Commission counters that chemical recycling effectively processes difficult waste containing food residues or additives.

EU environment chief Jessika Roswall defended the new rules as a vital answer to the mounting pressures facing Europe's plastic recycling industry.

The commission concluded that chemical methods will successfully complement traditional mechanical recycling operations.