Solution Title
Boosting circular economy of plastics from end-of-life vehicles through recycling into high added-va
Solution Title (in English)
Sectors
Waste, recycling, resource conservation
Markets
ELV processing, automobile industry
Description
The LIFE CIRC-ELV project aims to boost plastic recycling rates in the automotive sector by recycling polypropylene in end-of-life cars and reusing it in new products. Economic methods to dismantle and sort plastic components, including bumpers and fuel deposits, will help reduce recycling costs. Project partners will also test pre-treatments and compounding processes to improve the properties and market value of the materials recovered. They will demonstrate the quality and performance of recycled plastics by replacing virgin materials in new products, including automotive parts. This field experience will shed light on business opportunities for replicating plastic recycling process on a wider scale. Substituting virgin plastics with the recycled kind would contribute to the EU circular economy package. It would also support the Waste Framework Directive and Commission Directive 2000/53/EC on end-of-life vehicles by closing the manufacturing loop for plastics used in car manufacturing and tackle the depletion of fossil resources from which they are currently derived.
