26th Asia Plastics Forum, 15 September, 2016

1. TOWARDS ZERO LANDFILL BY 2025
Karl-H. Foerster, Executive Director,
PlasticsEurope
26th Asia Plastics Forum Council Meeting
Bangkok, 14 September 2016

2. 3
Background
• Plastic Waste = Growing Problem
Threat for License to Operate

3. 4
*2
*3
*4
*5
Approach
• Turn Problem into Opportunity
• Plastic Waste = Valuable Resource

4. 4
*8
*9
Action
• Target 100% Collection
• Recycling (Mechanical and Energy)

5. Europe: Positive Trend – But Significant
Potential Untapped

6. Landfilling is still the most common
waste treatment option for Plastics
7
Energy
Recovery
36%
8.9 mt
Landfill
38%
9.5 mt
Recycling
26%
6.6 mt
Treatment of post-Consumer Plastic Waste in Europe
in 2012:
Municipal Solid
Waste Incineration
Fuel for energy intensive
industrial production, e.g.
chemicals, cement etc.
25 mt

7. 8
Post-Consumer Plastic waste going to landfill
(2012):
above 66%
>50% to 66%
below 10%,
i.e. landfill ban
Landfilling of plastic waste is still a
major option in many countries
33% to 50%
2005
1999+
2006
2004
2006
2009 2005
2016
1996
1997
Date of landfill ban in force
Date of future landfill ban
2016
2014 - Scotland
EU27 plus Norway &
Switzerland: 38%

8. • Landfill Ban = Most Effective to Increase Recycling
and Energy Recovery
Secure broad Acceptance of Plastic Products and
Industry
Zero Plastics to Landfill

9. The Case of Germany
0
500
1.000
1.500
2.000
2.500
3.000
3.500
1994 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011
Source: Consultic, "Produktion, Verarbeitung und Verwertung von Kunststoffen in Deutschland", 2011
000 T/Y
Energy Recovery
Mechanical
Recycling Landfill
Decision to
ban
landfilling
10%
37%
38%
1%
42%
56%
41%
36%
14%
Ban of
landfilling
in force

10. Lessons Learned
• Landfilling remains the most used waste treatment option for plastics as long it
is the cheapest option
• Countries which have banned the landfilling of plastics achieve generally the
highest recycling and energy recovery rates
• Eliminating the landfilling has potential to increase reputation of plastics since
it is seen as a valuable resource after use-phase
• Significant investments in recycling and energy recovery plants are
necessary, therefore legal certainty is needed.
• Landfill bans (e.g. no material with a calorific value of more than 6 MJ/kg is
allowed in landfills) or accelerating landfill taxes are able to provide this
certainty
11

11. Towards Circular Economy and
Resource Efficiency
• Improve Collection
• Increase Consumers Awareness
• Ban Landfill