The European Market for Plastic Sorting and Recycling (Analyst Version)
The demand for plastic recycling plants in Europe will increase significantly in the years to come: by 2025,
sorting and recycling plants with an estimated capacity of 5.2 million tons will be commissioned. This is a
growth of 25% and the number of plants will increase by about 300.
Today, Europe has almost 1,200 active plastic sorting and recycling plants. However, this portfolio will not be
large enough as recycling becomes increasingly important.
The EU Waste Framework Directive will be the main market driver. By 2020, 50% of the plastic in MSW have
to undergo material recovery. Almost no EU member state has yet reached this goal, which creates financial
challenges for many countries.
South Europe has the largest market potential: France, Spain and Italy are three populous states with a lot of
catching up to do.
Many European waste management systems that are considered as more advanced also do not yet reach
MSW recycling quotas complying with the targets. This holds e.g. true for the Netherlands, Denmark,
Austria, Sweden and Norway. These states have to withdraw plastic wastes from thermal recovery in order
to increase their recycling quotas.
Many countries increase their sorting capacities by expanding or building additional plants at already existing
sites.
Against this backdrop, ecoprog has analysed the plastic sorting and recycling plants throughout Europe and
developed a market forecast on the basis of a transparent methodology.
The Analyst Version of the study “The European Market for Plastic Sorting and Recycling” includes:
- A valid estimation of the future market development by country, based on a transparent
methodology.
- A competition analysis of the most important operators of sorting and recycling capacities in the
European market.
- An overview of the most important plant technology and the cost dimensions within the plastic
recycling industry.
- A sound explanation of the European legal framework.
- 1 Definitions
- 1.1 Plastic sorting and recycling in the waste management system
- 1.2 Differentiation within the value of plastic sorting and recycling
- 1.3 Geographical differentiation
- 2 Plant technology
- 2.1 Delivery/transport
- 2.2 Sorting
- 2.3 Shredding and cleaning
- 2.4 Completion of end products
- 3 Costs and revenues
- 3.1 Investment costs
- 3.2 Operational costs
- 3.3 Revenues
- 4 Legal framework and market conditions
- 4.1 Waste Framework Directive
- 4.2 Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
- 4.3 Landfill Directive
- 4.4 Waste collection and separate collection
- 4.5 Competition by other types of disposal
- 4.6 EU waste legislation for after 2020
- 4.7 Development of plastic waste and recyclate prices
- 5 Plants and market
- 5.1 Plants
- 5.2 Market
- 6 Competition
- 6.1 Operators
- 6.2 Technology providers
- 7 National markets and plant sites
- 7.1 Austria
- 7.2 Belgium
- 7.3 Bulgaria
- 7.4 Croatia
- 7.5 Cyprus
- 7.6 Czech Republic
- 7.7 Denmark
- 7.8 Estonia
- 7.9 Finland
- 7.10 France
- 7.11 Germany
- 7.12 Greece
- 7.13 Hungary
- 7.14 Ireland
- 7.15 Italy
- 7.16 Latvia
- 7.17 Lithuania
- 7.18 Luxembourg
- 7.19 Malta
- 7.20 Netherlands
- 7.21 Norway
- 7.22 Poland
- 7.23 Portugal
- 7.24 Romania
- 7.25 Slovakia
- 7.26 Slovenia
- 7.27 Spain
- 7.28 Sweden
- 7.29 Switzerland
- 7.30 UK
- Data sources and methodology
- Glossary
- Register technology providers
- Figures
- Figure 1: Plastics and Recycling-Codes
- Figure 2: ecoprog-waste matrix
- Figure 3: Value-added chain plastic recycling
- Figure 4: Area under investigation
- Figure 5: Scheme of a plastic recycling facility
- Figure 6: Sorting technologies for plastic waste
- Figure 7: Shredding
- Figure 8: Shredding and Cleaning technologies
- Figure 9: Common recyclate in plastic recycling facilites
- Figure 10: Cost examples of plastic sorting plants in Europe
- Figure 11: Operational costs of plant examples
- Figure 12: Prices for pre-sorted plastic waste in Germany
- Figure 13: Income structure examples for plastic recycling plants
- Figure 14: Price development for secondary plastic raw materials in Germany
- Figure 15: Development of the waste framework directive
- Figure 16: Waste hierarchy in the EU
- Figure 17: Material Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste in Europe 2013
- Figure 18: Development of the EU-Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
- Figure 19: Material Recycling of plastic packaging waste in Europe in 2012
- Figure 20: Development of the Landfill directive
- Figure 21: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Europe
- Figure 22: Reduction of landfilled biodegradable waste (third term)
- Figure 23: Landfill Directive deadlines and reductions for complying with the 3rd deadline
- Figure 24: Instruments for reducing landfilling in the EEA
- Figure 25: Separate collection types in Europe
- Figure 26: Separate collection schemes in Europe
- Figure 27: Main separate collection systems in Europe
- Figure 28: Value added chain plastic recycling for Polyethylen
- Figure 29: Oil price development 2011-2015
- Figure 30: Price development primary plastics in Germany
- Figure 31: Prices for pre-sorted plastic waste in Germany
- Figure 32: Plastic recyclate prices in Germany
- Figure 33: Plastic sorting plants and capacities in Europe
- Figure 34: Average plant size per region
- Figure 35: The 6 most important countries for plastic sorting and recycling in Europe
- Figure 36: Average plant size in relation to input source
- Figure 37: Plants per region and input type
- Figure 38: Final products of the European sorting plants per input material
- Figure 39: Material Recycling of MSW and plastic packaging waste in Europa
- Figure 40: Plastic sorting and recycling plants with capacities in Europe
- Figure 41: Material recycling of MSW and plastic packaging waste on country level
- Figure 42: Plastic waste share in MSW in European countries
- Figure 43: Market potential in Europe
- Figure 44: ecoprog market development index plastic recycling
- Figure 45: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Europe
- Figure 46: Most important operators of plastic recycling plants in Europe
- Figure 47: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Austria
- Figure 48: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Austria
- Figure 49: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Belgium
- Figure 50: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Belgium
- Figure 51: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Bulgaria
- Figure 52: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Bulgaria
- Figure 53: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Croatia
- Figure 54: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Cyprus
- Figure 55: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Cyprus
- Figure 56: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Czech Republic
- Figure 57: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Czech Republic
- Figure 58: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Denmark
- Figure 59: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Denmark
- Figure 60: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Germany
- Figure 61: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Germany
- Figure 62: Project outlook Germany
- Figure 63: Competiton Germany
- Figure 64: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Estonia
- Figure 65: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Estonia
- Figure 66: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Finland
- Figure 67: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Finland
- Figure 68: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in France
- Figure 69: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in France
- Figure 70: Competition France
- Figure 71: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Greece
- Figure 72: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Greece
- Figure 73: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Hungary
- Figure 74: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Hungary
- Figure 75: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Ireland
- Figure 76: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Ireland
- Figure 77: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Italy
- Figure 78: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Italy
- Figure 79: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Latvia
- Figure 80: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Latvia
- Figure 81: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Lithuania
- Figure 82: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Lithuania
- Figure 83: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Luxembourg
- Figure 84: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Luxembourg
- Figure 85: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Malta
- Figure 86: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Malta
- Figure 87: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in the Netherlands
- Figure 88: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in the Netherlands
- Figure 89: Project outlook Netherlands
- Figure 90: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Norway
- Figure 91: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Norway
- Figure 92: Project outlook Norway
- Figure 93: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Poland
- Figure 94: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Poland
- Figure 95: Plants and Sizes in Poland
- Figure 96: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Portugal
- Figure 97: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Portugal
- Figure 98: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Romania
- Figure 99: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Romania
- Figure 100: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Slovakia
- Figure 101: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Slovakia
- Figure 102: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Slovenia
- Figure 103: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Slovenia
- Figure 104: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Sweden
- Figure 105: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Sweden
- Figure 106: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Switzerland
- Figure 107: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in Spain
- Figure 108: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in Spain
- Figure 109: Plants and input types in Spain
- Figure 110: Shares of incineration, recycling and landfilling of municipal solid waste in UK
- Figure 111: Amounts and treatment of plastic packaging waste in UK
- Figure 112: Average waste inputs in MRFs in UK
- Figure 113: Project outlook United Kingdom
- Figure 114: Competition in United Kingdom
- Figure 115: Calculation of the ecoprog Market Index