Overview of Waste Plastics Recovery and Utilization (I)

As a measure to save energy and protect the environment, the recycling of used plastics is receiving increasing attention. Recycling and recycling methods have been continuously developed. Due to the prominent price advantage of recycled plastics and significant benefits, the domestic recycling market for waste plastics has also become a climate. Recently, the domestic market for recycled plastics appears to be in short supply. However, the existing problems are also very obvious. It is necessary to further regulate the market.

First, waste plastic recycling space, good efficiency

1. Large market space

From 2000, China imported more than 2 million tons of waste plastics every year from abroad, and it increased at a rate of more than 10% per year. According to relevant departmental data, plastics and packaging waste in some large and medium-sized cities in China have accounted for 5% to 10% of the total amount of waste, which is close to the level of foreign industrial advanced countries. It can be seen that there is still a large gap in the demand for used recycled plastics among domestic plastic product manufacturers. The market for domestic waste plastic recycling is very large.

At present, the amount of automotive plastics in China is increasing year by year. The economical consumption of cars is 50-60 kilograms per vehicle, and 60 to 80 kilograms of mid-to-high-class cars are available, and some even reach 100 kilograms; the amount of plastics used in light and medium trucks is 50. About kilograms. The average amount of plastic used by each vehicle accounts for 5% to 10% of the vehicle's weight, which has reached the level of foreign countries in the early and mid-1980s. At present, the trend of automobile plasticization has evolved from ordinary decorative parts to structural parts and functional parts, and thus the use of plastic raw materials has expanded from common plastics (used mostly for automotive interior parts) to composite materials with higher strength and better impact. Or plastic alloys. By 2010, the total amount of automotive plastics in China will reach about 780,000 tons. Therefore, our task will be more and more arduous for the recovery, regeneration, and utilization of waste plastic parts. However, the recycling and recycling of automotive plastics are still being researched and perfected even in countries with advanced recycling technologies. In foreign countries, the use of combustion heat energy is mainly used to dispose of used plastic parts. Through certain cleaning devices, waste gas and waste residues that cannot be used are cleaned.

2. Good economic benefits

As the price of recycled plastic pellets is only 3,500-6,300 yuan/ton, the new raw materials are generally as high as 8,000 to 10,000 yuan/ton, with obvious cost advantages. In particular, the recent soaring of plastic raw materials has further strengthened the market's demand for recycled materials. According to the calculation, the cost of products made from reprocessing using waste plastics is only 50% of that of genuine raw materials. In Laizhou where recycled materials are concentrated, in 2003, the price of LDPE pure white recyclable primary products could reach 5,800 yuan/ton, and the variegated price ranged from 2,500 yuan to 4,500 yuan, while the new material price was generally 7,000 yuan. Above; the price of PP's pure white regenerative primary product is 5,200 yuan/ton in 2003, and the new material price is more than 6,500 yuan.

Relevant investigations show that most plastic product manufacturers will use recycled materials as the main means to reduce production costs. This is an open secret in the industry. Companies also use this to reduce costs and increase market competitiveness. If the same product uses all new materials, the price will be 200 yuan, while the use of recycled materials will cost less than 100 yuan. It can be said that enterprises cannot survive in a highly competitive market if all plastic products use new materials without doping them with recycled materials. It is based on this situation that plastic recycling materials sell well in China, and 3 million to 4 million tons of waste plastics are imported into China each year, and are processed into recycled plastic raw materials for sale. The profits are considerable. The sudden emergence of recycled plastics has made discarded plastic products a hot commodity.

Due to the prominent price advantage of recycled plastics, China's waste plastic recycling market has also become a climate. With the skyrocketing price of plastic raw materials at home and abroad this year, the price of recycled materials has also increased. In the past, the worthless waste plastic foam has risen from 2 yuan/kg to about 3.8 yuan/kg now. The purchase price of waste plastics has not risen, so the profit of recycled materials has been further improved and the market capacity has expanded. And recently, with the large fluctuations in the international and domestic plastic raw material markets, the market for recycled plastics is in short supply, and the import of waste plastics is also on the rise.

Second, China's plastic recycling problems

1. Insufficient recycling level

In 2003, China’s output of plastic products (industrial enterprises above designated size) reached 16.51 million tons. If we count small businesses, we estimate that there will be more than 25 million tons conservatively. We have maintained a strong growth momentum this year. If 20% of plastic products are recyclable plastics, then China's recyclable plastic waste will be about 4 to 5 million tons per year. This does not include scraps and unused residues left in the production of enterprises. Secondary plastic products recycling. According to the “Tenth Five-Year Plan for Recycling of Renewable Resources,” it is proposed that by 2005, the domestic recycling of waste plastics should reach 5 million to 6 million tons. However, in 2003, only 2 million tons of waste plastics were recycled in China.

2. Recycling classification system is not sound

Recycling of plastics is a worldwide issue. Some of the successful practices of industrialized countries are rational use of different kinds. Discarded plastics can be classified into different grades according to the specifications of the products, and can be classified and used after corresponding processing. For example, scraps and defectives produced by enterprises in the production process are plastics that can be easily classified and recycled. However, the use of plastic products for daily life in China is difficult to sort and recycle. On the one hand, the public's awareness of environmental protection is not strong, and the concept of plastic recycling has not yet been recognized by the public. The classification and recycling of different plastics has not yet been formed. On the other hand, the classification of plastic products by raw materials is not obvious. The State stipulates that plastic products should mark classification and recovery marks in prominent areas, but most products are not marked, causing inconvenience for the classification during recycling. Recycling of some emerging plastic products has not attracted everyone's attention, such as the recycling of optical discs, home appliances plastics, automotive plastics has yet to be refined.