Methods of plastic waste recycling with emphasis on mechanical treatment

Abstract

Consumption of plastic products shows a dramatic increase over the past few decades. This upward trend is generating large amounts of waste that must be properly managed to avoid environmental damage. An option, with great potential, for resolving this problem is recycling process. This process is designed to transform plastic waste into new material for plastics productions and includes a variety of methods like re-extrusion, mechanical method, chemical method and energy recovery. This paper summarizes the current situation regarding the generation of plastic waste in Europe and provides a general view of alternative recycling methods.