The GIC automotive plastics pilot shows that recycling plastics from end-of-life vehicles is technically feasible but not commercially proven. Each year, more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic from these vehicles are incinerated or landfilled in Europe.
New EU regulation requires that by 2036, new cars must contain 25% recycled plastic, with at least 20% sourced from closed-loop vehicle recycling. Currently, the closed-loop share of recycled plastic in vehicles stands at approximately 2.5%. Charlie Tan, a representative involved in the pilot, stated, “Closing the loop on automotive plastics is no longer a question of ambition; it is a question of execution.”
Historically, the recycling of automotive plastics has faced significant hurdles. The GIC initiative aims to address these challenges by assessing the technical aspects of recycling processes. However, commercial viability remains uncertain.
In addition to automotive plastics, tire recycling presents its own set of issues. The Ontario government plans to reduce the required percentage of tires that should be recycled from 85% to 65% starting January 2025. This decision follows a situation where hundreds of thousands of tires accumulated at two sites last fall.
Peter Tabuns criticized this move: “They don’t deal with the fundamental problem. This government rolled back the percentage of tires that should be recycled, from 85 to 65, and it isn’t correcting that.” Karen Wirsig added that burning tires releases extremely toxic pollution.
Producer responsibility organizations (PROs) are expected to manage all end-of-life tires as they become available. Gary Wheeler emphasized the government’s expectations for these organizations: “Our government expects producers and producer responsibility organizations (PROs) to collect and manage all end-of-life tires as they become available.”
The complexities surrounding both automotive and tire recycling highlight the broader challenges in establishing a circular economy for these materials. Observers continue to monitor developments closely as regulations evolve.
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