Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
working to create
markets for recycled materials
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
rx3 Floor 2 Block 2, West Pier Business Campus, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. Telephone: 1890 RECYCLE 1890 732925 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.rx3.ie
rx3 is funded by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
© rx3 rethink recycle remake 2013 All or part of this publication may be reproduced without further permission, provided the source is acknowledged.
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012 Published by rx3
Disclaimer rx3 has taken due care in the preparation of this document to ensure that all facts and analysis presented are as accurate as possible within the scope of the project. However rx3 makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the use of any information disclosed in this document, or assumes any liabilities with respect to the use of, or damage resulting in any way from the use of any information disclosed in this document. While care has been taken in the production of the publication, no responsibility is accepted by rx3 for any errors or omissions herein. This document does not purport to be and should not be considered a legal interpretation of the legislation referred to herein.
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................IV ABBREVIATIONS ...................................................................................................................................V EXECUTIVE SUMMARY........................................................................................................................VI 1
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................ 1
2
STUDY METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................... 2
3
COMPANY DETAILS................................................................................................................. 3 3.1
4
5
6
COMPANY DETAILS .......................................................................................................... 3
MARKETS .................................................................................................................................. 4 4.1
END MARKETS OR SECTORS SERVED ............................................................................... 4
4.2
TYPE OF MANUFACTURING ............................................................................................... 5
4.3
PLASTIC TYPES USED IN MANUFACTURING........................................................................ 6
4.4
PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED ............................................................................................ 7
WASTE MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................................... 10 5.1
QUANTITY OF PLASTIC WASTE GENERATED .................................................................... 10
5.2
MANAGEMENT OF PLASTIC WASTE.................................................................................. 10
5.3
LANDFILLED PLASTIC WASTE .......................................................................................... 11
5.4
QUANTITY OF PLASTIC WASTE LANDFILLED ..................................................................... 13
5.5
REASON FOR LANDFILLING, POLYMER TYPE AND TONNAGE ............................................. 13
5.6
RECYCLING OF PLASTIC WASTE ..................................................................................... 14
5.7
QUANTITY OF PLASTIC WASTE RECYCLED....................................................................... 15
5.8
MANAGEMENT OF PLASTIC WASTE RECYCLED, POLYMER TYPE AND TONNAGE ................. 15
5.9
PLASTIC WASTE USED TO PRODUCE REGRIND ................................................................ 16
5.10
QUANTITY OF PLASTIC WASTE USED TO PRODUCE REGRIND ........................................... 18
5.11
REGRIND PLASTIC BY POLYMER TYPE ............................................................................. 18
5.12
PLASTIC WASTE RECOVERED ......................................................................................... 19
5.13
QUANTITY AND TYPE OF PLASTIC WASTE RECOVERED .................................................... 20
CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................................................................... 22
i
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: End Markets/Sectors ................................................................................................................ 4 Figure 2: Type of Manufacturing.............................................................................................................. 5 Figure 3: Management of Plastic Waste................................................................................................ 11 Figure 4: Plastic Waste Landfilled by Organisation Response ............................................................. 12 Figure 5: Proportion of Total Plastic Waste Generated that is Landfilled.............................................. 12 Figure 6: Plastic Waste Landfilled by Polymer Type ............................................................................. 13 Figure 7: Plastic Waste Recycled by Organisation Response .............................................................. 14 Figure 8: Proportion of Total Plastic Waste Generated that is Recycled .............................................. 15 Figure 9: Plastic Waste Recycled by Polymer Type.............................................................................. 16 Figure 10: Plastic Waste Regrind by Organisation Response .............................................................. 17 Figure 11: Proportion of Total Plastic Waste Generated that is Regrind .............................................. 17 Figure 12: Plastic Waste Regrind by Polymer Type.............................................................................. 18 Figure 13: Plastic Waste Recovered by Organisation Response ......................................................... 19 Figure 14: Proportion of Total Plastic Waste Generated that is Recovered.......................................... 20 Figure 15: Plastic Waste Recovered by Polymer Type ......................................................................... 21
ii
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Company Details ....................................................................................................................... 3 Table 2: End Markets/Sectors ................................................................................................................. 4 Table 3: Type of Manufacturing............................................................................................................... 5 Table 4: Plastic Types Used by Manufacturers....................................................................................... 6 Table 5: Top 5 Plastic Types Used.......................................................................................................... 6 Table 6: Input Polymer Tonnes ............................................................................................................... 7 Table 7: Products Manufactured ............................................................................................................. 8 Table 8: Plastic Waste Generated......................................................................................................... 10 Table 9: Management of Plastic Waste................................................................................................. 10 Table 10: Quantity of Plastic Waste Landfilled...................................................................................... 13 Table 11: Quantity of Plastic Waste Recycled ...................................................................................... 15 Table 12: Management Method of Plastic Waste.................................................................................. 16 Table 13: Quantity of Plastic Waste Used to Produce Regrind............................................................. 18
iii
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS rx3 wishes to thank all of the survey respondents for their time and contribution to the study.
iv
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
ABBREVIATIONS ABS
Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
DECLG
Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
EPS
Expanded polystyrene
HDPE
High density polyethylene
HIPS
High impact polystyrene
LDPE
Low density polyethylene
LLDPE
Linear low density polyethylene
NI
Northern Ireland
PA
Polyamide
PC
Polycarbonate
PET
Polyethylene terephthalate
PMMA
Polymethyl methacrylate
PP
Polypropylene
PS
Polystyrene
PU
Polyurethane
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
RDF
Refuse derived fuel
ROI
Republic of Ireland
SRF
Solid recovered fuel
T
Tonnes
WRAP
Waste Resources Action Programme
v
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The main objective of the ‘Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012’ is to understand the waste management practices of plastic convertors/manufacturers of plastic products on the island of Ireland in relation to their plastic process scrap. This process scrap is generally clean with the different plastic types separated into their individual streams, therefore this material is ideally suited to high quality recycling and use in manufacturing. The long term goal of this piece of work is to increase the recycling rate of plastic waste in Ireland and increase the use of recyclate in Irish manufacturing using plastic waste sourced in Ireland in cooperation with industry. In order to garner information on plastic process scrap management practices on the island it was decided to carry out a survey of the plastic convertors/manufacturers of plastic products. The survey asked key questions on market sectors served, type of manufacturing carried out, input polymers, products made, plastic waste generation, how plastic, by quantity and type, is managed once it becomes waste and reasons why some management options are selected. In total 214 surveys were issued and 59 were completed. This gave a 28% survey response rate. There were 8 respondents from Northern Ireland and 51 from the Republic of Ireland. The survey revealed the main end use sectors served by respondents were packaging, medical and construction. The packaging and construction industries are also the industries most likely to use recycled content in their products. The medical and electrical and electronic sectors use virgin polymer and the automotive industry may use some recyclate. Overall the most commonly used input polymers were HDPE and PP. The virgin polymer types and recycled plastic types most commonly used by respondents were reasonably similar. The virgin plastics used most were PP, HDPE, LDPE, ABS and PC. The recycled plastic types most used were HDPE, LDPE, PP, ABS, HIPS, PET, PVC and LLDPE. This demonstrates that there is cross over in the plastic types used. This may also indicate material types that could have good potential for further recycled content use. The main types of plastic converting/product manufacturing processes carried out by respondents are injection moulding and extrusion. The survey also revealed that a wide variety of products are made and that the type of product and product conformity determined whether virgin or recyclate could be used. It was found that 84% of manufacturers/convertors use less than 1,000 tonnes of a particular polymer type and 30% of respondents use less than 10 tonnes of a particular polymer type. PP, HDPE, ABS, LDPE, PC, HIPS, PA, PVC, PS and Acrylic are particularly common among the lower range of input tonnages while for tonnages greater than 1,000 LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE, PP and PET are the most common plastics used. With regard to plastic waste generation it was revealed that 21,550 tonnes of plastic waste was generated by survey respondents. This waste is managed by four different methods: regrind, recycling, recovery and landfill. It was noted that 55% of manufacturers produce less than 50 tonnes of plastic waste. Of the respondents 32% produce more than 100 tonnes of plastic waste. Nearly 70% of manufacturers recycle at least some of their plastic waste while close to 50% of manufacturers regrind their plastic waste and reuse it within their internal process. Almost 7% of respondents engage in a recovery process to manage their waste and 25% of companies landfill some of their plastic waste.
vi
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
Please indicate how plastic waste generated on site is managed? 80.0%
60.0%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0% Recycled
Regrind for internal reuse
Landfilled
Recovered
Other
Figure A: Management of Plastic Waste In terms of the plastic waste tonnes generated by respondents the four plastic management processes used represent: •
84% of plastic waste tonnes are made into regrind and reused inhouse
•
Just over 11% of plastic waste tonnes were recycled
•
Just over 3% of plastic waste tonnes were disposed to landfill
•
Just over 1% of plastic waste tonnes underwent a recovery process
vii
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
1% 3% 12%
Landfill Recycling Regrind Recovery
84%
Figure B: Plastic Waste Tonnes Handled by Management Method (expressed in %) Some of the reasons behind the selection of a particular management method were: •
Companies with larger volumes of plastic waste were more likely to regrind their waste. Companies with smaller volumes may not consider the investment in equipment prudent owing to economies of scale
•
Contamination and no option for recycling were the main reasons for landfilling
The study noted that of the plastic scrap sent for recycling 60% is sent directly to reprocessors, thereby reducing the potential for material contamination and allowing higher value processing of the plastic to take place. The high proportion of regrind produced and used inhouse by organisations indicates that there is a demand and use of high quality, clean recycled polymers. If plastic convertors and manufacturers of plastic products have additional tonnage demands which are not met by their internal regrind volumes or if they have an interest in using recyclate in their products there are many reprocessors on the island that can supply high quality recyclate to meet their needs. The findings from the rx3 Irish Recycled Plastic Waste Arisings Study in 2009 showed an all island plastic demand by convertors/manufacturers of over 465,000 tonnes. The general ratio of virgin to recyclate use by those manufacturers using recyclate, and who responded to the survey as part of the 2009 study, was 80:20. The reprocessors indicated that they reprocessed in the region of 109,000 tonnes this figure would indicate that there is available high quality recyclate for use by convertors/manufacturers. The reprocessors who responded to the survey in 2009 also indicated that the main polymer types they processed were HDPE, LDPE, PET and PVC which is similar to those polymer types used by convertors/manufacturers in the 2012 survey. These polymer types are also those more commonly used in sectors such as construction, packaging and other and these are the industries more inclined to use recycled content in their products.
viii
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
Overall the survey indicates that the majority of plastic waste generated by manufacturers/convertors is managed in a highly effective manner. While the numbers of manufacturers landfilling waste is relatively low, there may be options and markets available for many types of plastic waste currently being disposed of to landfill. The rx3 network can advise or assist with diverting a manufacturers waste from landfill to a more sustainable and cost effective end use.
ix
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
1 INTRODUCTION rx3 ’rethink recycle remake’ is a Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government initiative working to create end markets for recyclable materials in Ireland. Plastic is a key material of focus on the programme. An all island study called The Irish Recycled Plastic Waste Arising Study by rx3 and WRAP NI was published in 2011 which established baseline information on the quantity, quality, type, origin and destination of waste plastics across the island of Ireland. This information was produced in order to assist organisations involved in the collection, handling, processing and reprocessing of waste plastics in Ireland to ensure the appropriate waste management infrastructure is in place to meet future needs. A further aim of this study was to identify potential domestic markets for plastics at all life-cycle stages including plastic waste, plastic recyclate and plastic end products. The scope of the Irish Recycled Plastic Waste Arising Study did not specifically identify plastic waste generation at sites that manufacture products from plastic on the island. The type of plastic scrap produced at these sites is generally clean and maintained in a single stream, therefore this material is ideally suited to high quality recycling and use in manufacturing. To gather the information on plastic scrap generated at sites manufacturing plastic products rx3 decided to conduct a survey of plastic manufacturers/convertors on the island of Ireland. The survey aimed to establish a number of facts: •
How much plastic waste is generated by plastic manufacturers/convertors
•
Understand the plastic types being sent to landfill
•
Understand the reasons for plastic being sent to landfill
•
Where waste plastic is being sent to landfill assess the possibility to direct it into a recycling or recovery process
•
Understand the proportion of plastic by polymer type being reground for internal use, recycled, recovered or undergoing other methods of disposal etc
The long term intention of the survey is to increase the recycling rate of plastic waste in Ireland and increase the use of recyclate in Irish manufacturing using plastic waste sourced in Ireland by working with industry.
1
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
2 STUDY METHODOLOGY The study methodology focused on the development of a survey with key questions to deliver information on the manufacturing and waste management practices of plastic manufacturing organisations. A list of companies that manufacture plastic products was developed. Telephone calls were made to the companies in order to introduce the study and enquire about possible participation. The survey was developed electronically using Surveymonkey to make it as user friendly as possible. The survey was designed to answer the following questions: •
End markets/sectors served
•
Type of manufacturing
•
Input plastic types used
•
Products manufactured
•
Quantity of plastic waste generated
•
How is plastic waste managed
•
Is plastic waste landfilled, by quantity, type and reasons for landfilling
•
Is plastic waste recycled, by quantity, type and how managed
•
Is plastic waste used to produce regrind, by quantity, type
•
Is plastic waste recovered, by quantity, type
•
Any ’other’ methods of plastic waste management
The survey was issued to 214 manufacturers of plastic products on the island of Ireland. A total of 59 valid responses were received after the survey follow up and cut off period providing a 28% response rate. A total of 21,550 tonnes of waste was generated by the 59 manufacturers and this report outlines what type of plastic waste made up this figure, and how it was managed. There were 8 respondents from Northern Ireland and 51 from the Republic of Ireland. The data received was validated and analysed. The results of the analysis are presented in the following sections.
2
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
3 COMPANY DETAILS Some basic details were requested as part of the survey, please see information requested below.
3.1
COMPANY DETAILS
Table 1: Company Details Answer Options
Response Percent 100.0% 100.0% 94.9% 96.6% 93.2% 100.0% 61.0% 91.5%
Contact Name: Organisation Name: Site Name/Location: Job Title: Contact Telephone Number: Email Address: Website: Company Activity:
These details were taken to gain a better understanding of the profile and type of companies that responded to the survey. Companies were also asked if they could be contacted to validate their answers in the case of any discrepancies. The companies that responded were diverse ranging from well known large scale plastic product manufacturers to companies whose plastic manufacturing is only a small part of their wider business operations.
3
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
4 MARKETS 4.1
END MARKETS OR SECTORS SERVED
Question: What end markets/sectors does your organisation serve? Table 2: End Markets/Sectors Answer Options
Response Percent 12.6% 18.4% 12.6% 21.4% 22.3% 2.9% 9.7%
Automotive Construction Electrical & Electronic Medical Packaging All of the above Other
There is quite an even spread of end markets with packaging being the largest market sector served by the respondents at 22%, closely followed by the medical sector at 21%. The third largest sector served by the survey respondents is construction at 18.4%. The automotive and electrical and electronic sectors are the smallest end markets with approximately 13% each. Almost 3% of respondents said that they serve every market which illustrates the flexibility and diversity of some manufacturers in the market. The ‘Other’ category at 9.7% covers a wide range of products and markets with examples of ‘other’ end markets ranging from DIY products, to agricultural, marine and retail markets. These end market sector splits are similar to those reported by manufacturers who responded to the survey issued as part of the ‘The Irish Recycled Plastic Waste Arisings Study’ published in 2011 by rx3.
What end markets / sectors does your organisation serve?
10%
13%
3% Automotive Construction 18%
Electrical & Electronic Medical
22%
Packaging All of the above Other
13% 21%
Figure 1: End Markets/Sectors
4
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
4.2
TYPE OF MANUFACTURING
Question: Please indicate the type of manufacturing carried out on site? Table 3: Type of Manufacturing Answer Options
Response Percent 20.3% 6.8% 10.2% 5.1% 8.5% 57.6% 1.7% 1.7% 11.9% 15.3%
Extrusion Blow extrusion Blow moulding Compression moulding Fabrication Injection moulding Reaction injection moulding Rotational moulding Vacuum forming Other
Injection moulding is by far the most common type of manufacture with approximately 58% of all respondents indicating that this process is carried out. Extrusion at 20.3% is the next highest type of manufacturing with all the other processes undertaken by 12% or less of the respondents. Some of the methods listed in ‘other’ were: different types of welding, grinding, thermoforming and laminating.
Please indicate the type of manufacturing carried out on site? 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0%
O th er
ex tr u sio Bl n ow Co m m ou pr ld es in sio g n m ou ld in g Fa br ica In j t io ec Re n tio ac n t io m n ou in ld je in ct g io n m Ro ou ta ld in tio g na lm ou ld Va in cu g um fo rm in g
Bl
ow
Ex tru si
on
0.0%
Figure 2: Type of Manufacturing During the injecting moulding process plastic resin is introduced into the injection moulding machine. Within the machine the resin is heated in a barrel and once in a fluid state is then fed or injected into a mould by a reciprocating screw. The resin cools in the mould and is ejected as a solid part. Injection
5
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
moulding is a popular method as it is very flexible, time efficient, suitable for items of varying size, can work with a large range of materials and greatly reduces the amount of scrap or waste that is produced.
4.3
PLASTIC TYPES USED IN MANUFACTURING
Question: Please indicate the input plastic types and the input tonnes used annually in the manufacturing process on site? Table 4: Plastic Types Used by Manufacturers Answer Options ABS Acrylic EPS HDPE HIPS LDPE LLDPE PA PC PET PMMA PP PS PU PVC Other
Virgin Only
Recycled Only
Both*
Total Virgin
Total Recycled
Total Inputs
Total Inputs Percent
11 7 2 17 6 11 6 9 10 3 3 21 6 1 4 11
1 1 0 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 1 1
3 0 1 5 3 5 2 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 3 2
14 7 3 22 9 16 8 9 10 5 3 23 7 1 7 13
4 1 1 9 4 6 3 0 0 4 0 5 1 0 4 3
18 8 4 31 13 22 11 9 10 9 3 28 8 1 11 16
9% 4% 2% 15% 6% 11% 5% 4% 5% 4% 1% 14% 4% 0% 5% 8%
*Both is not included in the virgin only or recycled only category and is added to each one to get the total inputs
The survey shows that respondents use a wide range of plastic types. The respondents indicated that high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) represent 15% and 14% respectively of the input plastic types used on site. The most commonly used types of input plastic after HDPE and PP were LDPE, ABS, HIPS and other. Other plastic types were listed as TPE, PDT, PVDC, PC/ABS, TPMA, TFCO, COEX, TBA, PETG, POM, MDPE and Nyrim. Table 5 demonstrates that the recycled plastic types that are used by respondents are similar to the virgin materials that are used. This could indicate that there is potential for companies to source more recycled material such as PP, HDPE, LDPE ABS and HIPS. Table 5: Top 5 Plastic Types Used
1 2 3 4 5
Virgin PP HDPE LDPE ABS PC
Recycled HDPE LDPE PP ABS,HIPS,PET, PVC LLDPE
6
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
Tonnes
ABS
Acrylic
EPS
HDPE
HIPS
LDPE
LLDPE
PA
PC
PET
PMMA
PP
PS
PU
PVC
Other
Total
Total %
Table 6: Input Polymer Tonnes
0-9
3
6
0
5
3
3
1
5
7
3
2
5
2
1
3
3
52
30%
10-19
3
0
0
3
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
0
1
13
8%
20-49
5
1
1
2
2
1
0
3
2
0
1
5
1
0
2
1
27
16%
50-99
2
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
2
1
0
1
1
11
6%
100-499
0
0
0
5
2
4
3
0
1
1
0
5
1
0
1
5
28
16%
500-999
0
0
1
4
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
3
0
0
1
0
13
8%
More than 1,000
0
1
0
0
0
4
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
6
3%
More than 2,000
0
0
0
4
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
1
10
6%
More than 5,000
0
0
1
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
5
3%
More than 10,000
1
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
2%
More than 20,000
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1%
Other
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
1%
The vast majority of manufacturers use less than 1,000 tonnes and 30% of manufacturers use less than 10 tonnes of a particular polymer. PP, HDPE, ABS, LDPE, PC, HIPS, PA, PVC, PS and Acrylic are particularly common among the lower range of input tonnages while for tonnages greater than 1,000 LDPE, HDPE, LLDPE, PP and PET are the most common plastics used.
4.4
PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED
Question: Please describe the product/s your company manufactures? All respondents listed their product line. The following is a breakdown of some of products under a few different category headings.
7
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
Table 7: Products Manufactured Tanks Bunded fuel dispensing tanks for agricultural, industrial and domestic use Rain water harvesting systems and water storage tanks. General tanks HDPE drums Composite IBCs (Intermediate Bulk Container) Moulding Injection moulds Range of custom moulded products Material handling trays, covers, guards, bespoke containers, fascia’s, prototypes Medical Disposable medical devices Medical pharma products Implantable pacemakers/defibrillators Medical devices - syringes, diabetes care disposables Mould hubs for catheters for use with medical devices Intermittent urinary catheters Thermoformed blisters for the safe packaging of products Pharmaceutical containers Injection moulded components for medical device assemblies Drug delivery sets assemblies Respiratory device sub assemblies Ostomy, ileostomy & colostomy pouches Disposable dental applicators for the dental industry Eye care products Construction Range of extrusion profiles for skirting, door frames and architraves Bonded bead cavity wall Insulation, floor Insulation, external wall Insulation Twin wall polypropylene sheet Drainage pipes Roof slates Film High performance stretch film Sacks of all colours and sizes, mainly bin liners Polythene film and bags Automotive Connectors for assembly into wire harness for automotive industry Flexible profiles for trucks Components for the aviation and automotive industries Electrical/Electronic Parts for electrical companies Electric portable heaters Electric domestic heating - inset fires Gas domestic heating - fires Submersible pumps Pump accessories
8
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
Packaging Plastic bottles and containers for pharmaceutical and other sectors Caps and closures in varying colours, sizes and thickness's Plastic lids/caps and scoops/spoons for the baby food industry Flexible packaging mainly for the food industry PE packaging rolls Bespoke packaging Miscellaneous Components for children’s games Marine products Government election products Sports protective equipment Plastic hangers and plastic components Ink cartridges and printer heads Fine wire welded sub assemblies PE foam and laminate underlay’s Polyester fibre The survey responses showed that only virgin plastics are used in the production of items in the Tanks category. The structural integrity of the tanks is obviously of primary importance as many of these containers are designed to hold materials of a polluting nature, such as oil and slurry etc. The main plastic types used in these products are HDPE, LDPE, PA and PP. In terms of Moulding a range of virgin and recycled plastic is used. Some plastic types associated with this category were ABS, HDPE, HIPS, PC, PETG and PMMA. All of the manufacturers who reported making products for the Medical industry use virgin plastic only. The stringent measures that must be met in terms of product conformity and patient safety result in the use of virgin polymers in the medical industry. A wide range of plastic types were used by the industry. The survey respondents manufacturing products for the Construction industry indicated that mainly recycled or a mix of recycled and virgin polymers are used in production. It was noted that EPS, HDPE, PP and PVC were commonly used. Depending on the type of Films being produced either virgin, recycled or a mix of the two were used. The plastic types used in their production, were HDPE, LDPE and LLDPE. The Automotive industry mainly uses virgin polymers but in some cases use a mix of virgin and recycled. Some plastics used are ABS, HDPE, PA, PC, PP and PVC. The survey respondents manufacturing for the Electrical/Electronic industry use virgin plastic only. Plastic types used are ABS, PA, PC and PP. Manufacturers for the Packaging industry used mostly virgin plastic with some using recycled. The predominant plastic types used are HDPE, HIPS, LDPE, LLDPE, PET and PP. The Miscellaneous or Other category use either virgin polymers and/or a mix of virgin and recycled in their products. The plastics used are ABS, HDPE, HIPS, LDPE, PA, PC, PET, PP and PVC.
9
Plastic Manufacturers Survey 2012
5 WASTE MANAGEMENT 5.1
QUANTITY OF PLASTIC WASTE GENERATED
Question: Please indicate the total quantity of plastic waste generated annually on site by your organisation? Table 8: Plastic Waste Generated Plastic Waste Generated (Tonnes) Number of Manufacturers %
