Recycling. But what happens to plastic packaging thrown in the yellow bins?

As discussions resume this Tuesday in Geneva on a global treaty against plastic pollution, in France, only 27% of household plastic packaging is recycled, according to Citéo . The rest is incinerated to produce energy or buried in landfills. This rate is lower than paper and cardboard (69%) and glass (86%), for two reasons. First, we still sort our waste too little and second, not all plastic packaging is recyclable and those that are, are not infinitely recyclable. In consumer products, three main types of plastic can be reused.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is primarily used to make beverage bottles, but also food trays. "The goal is to return the product to its original use," explains Damien Vincent, product development director for the plastics division of Paprec, the French leader in waste recycling. A transparent bottle, for example, becomes a transparent bottle again. To achieve this, the packaging is sorted by color, cleaned, then crushed and transformed into granules.

During the bottles' various lives, "a slightly yellowish color eventually forms, which can become problematic from a marketing point of view," explains Damien Vincent. These bottles, which are no longer recyclable, are then transformed into polyester fibers used by the textile industry .

High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is used to make plastic bottle caps, milk bottles, shampoo bottles, shower gel bottles, and laundry detergent bottles. "We recover the white, colorless fraction to make a colorable polyethylene, which is used in particular to remake shampoo bottles," explains Damien Vincent. "Polyethylene plastic films can also be recycled to make garbage bags or pallet covers," continues Damien Vincent.

As for polypropylene (PP), it is found in butter tubs, cottage cheese pots, and cream cheese pots . "The white and colorless fraction is also quite significant," notes Damien Vincent. "This allows polypropylene to be recycled into toys, flower boxes, and bottles for the cosmetics industry."

A 2021 decree requires manufacturers to incorporate at least 25% recycled plastic into PET bottles by 2025 and a minimum of 30% for all plastic bottles by 2030. "Today, the biggest obstacle to recycling is ensuring that recycled material is competitive in terms of price compared to raw materials derived from petroleum," explains Damien Vincent. Sorting and recycling plastic requires personnel, significant investment in machinery, and remains energy-intensive.