Increasing the Use of Secondary Plastics in Electrical and Electronic Equipment and Extending Products Lifetime – Instruments and Concepts

Abstract

While secondary plastics arising at the manufacturing and processing phases are recycled to the production process in large measure due to its high purity, the market share of secondary plastics remains low and recycling is often dominated by thermal recovery. Energetic recovery of plastics in waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been dominating for a long time. At the same time reuse of WEEE is not well developed at EU level; with few exceptions at Member State level.Against this background we want to discuss in this book chapter several policy instruments that aim to increase the reuse of WEEE as well as the use of secondary plastics in electrical and electronic equipment. Taking the case study of Germany we evaluate instruments theoretical quantity effects and their feasibility. In reality, instruments are often weak and scattered implemented. To identify a policy mix without the risk of creating expensive policies with the potential for inefficient outcomes, we make two complementary conceptual proposes, which first open up perspectives for possible synergies of instruments and second allow an integrated understanding of the regional context in which instruments are implemented. The discussion of the case study of promoting reuse within this framework makes clear, that such an integrated understanding is the basis for any appropriate, targeted and efficient stimulation and bridges the gap between theoretical policy formulation and practically implementation.Keywords: WEEE, use of secondary plastics, reuse, policy instruments IntroductionWaste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) can be considered as one of the most urgent waste management challenges and has raised significant political attention over the last years. Electrical and electronic products contain substances, which are valuable as well as often also critical (e.g. mass metals: copper, aluminium etc.; precious metals: gold, silver etc.; critical metals: indium, gallium etc.) and pose risks to the environment and human health (e.g. heavy metals: mercury, cadmium etc.; flame retardants: pentabromophenol etc.) [1,2].

Sustainable recycling technologies for thermoplastic polymers and their composites: A review of the state of the art

“…Belgian experience with a 50% by weight objective for the recovered plastic fraction leads to taking into account the average plastic content of LHA (19% by weight) in a target suggestion of 9.5% by weight for the weight of the product. [ 239 ] The PP recycling with the help of all recycling processes covering washing and pelletizing showed better results in impact strength and ultimate elongation value. Hence, these results suggest the decrement of toughness value because of contamination.…”