Opportunity Analysis for Re-cycling Household Plastic Wastes in Denmark - Exploratory Case Study and Future Outlook

Exploratory case studies have been conducted within three best-case companies in the plastic value chain in Denmark to illuminate technical capabilities of sorting and further processing of plastic wastes, and to identify current re-cycling strategies and market opportunities for re-cycled plastics. Departing from circular economy principles this paper concludes that few re-cycling values chains have been established in Denmark, which origin from plastic packaging waste from households, and none for food packaging re-use. Unfavorable waste management practices mostly lead to a downcycling of the plastic quality within the current value chain. The study reveals that companies support the re-cycling of plastic, but until the quality of sorted plastic is assured for larger adaptation, they focus on e.g., buyback programs and cooperation with selected actors in a small segment of the value chain to valorize their flows of plastic. This paper further concludes that re-use strategies must be prioritized alongside the re-cycling of high quality plastics. As future outlook, biological methods like bacteria and enzymes treatment are discussed, as well as the watermark technology for tracing the origin and type of plastic. Besides re-use and re-cycling strategies reducing the pressure on virgin feedstock, we outline potentials for producing bio-based and PtX (electro-fuel) plastics.