Increasing the recycling of plastic requires long-term cooperation

28.4.2023 12.37Updated: 23.5.2023 11.26
Colourful shredded plastic on a light-coloured surface.

Espoo has been working towards increasing the recycling of plastic for many years. The challenge is complex, as are the solutions, and requires cooperation with others. We must work together in a methodical way, and therefore the project launched by Espoo at the beginning of the year aiming to develop the market for recycled plastic is built on the initiative started in 2018 and the information collected in connection with it. The network partners help each other and work to build a better operating environment for all.

Plastic is made of possibilities

Increasing the recycling of plastic is one of the key requirements as we aim to make the transition to a circular economy. In other words, the solution lies in the circular economy – i.e. more responsible use and recycling of materials – not in ending the use of plastic: when used correctly, plastic is a very sustainable material, as it is durable, light and recyclable. Over the past decades, more and more plastic has been produced, resulting in increased amounts of plastic waste, some of which ends up in nature. A much wiser course of action would be to recycle the plastic that has already been produced. On the other hand, this is the perfect time to develop the recycling of plastic: our world is filled with plastic material to be processed and tested as well as professionals who know the material. The conditions for improving the recycling process are excellent. Investing in plastic recycling is also useful in the sense that it not only solves the plastic challenge but also provides good tips and encouraging examples for the responsible use of other materials.

Plastic recycling, as well as the entire circular economy, is a complex challenge that can only be tackled through cooperation. As the saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, but the new system will only work if most people get involved. However, if we do not know each other’s questions, we cannot answer them. If we do not understand each other’s perspectives, we cannot develop replicable solutions. And if we do not share new ideas, they cannot grow. Co-creation is also worthwhile because the end result will be more than the sum of its parts.

Far from being waste, hard plastic is actually valuable raw material.

Smart & Clean Foundation leads the way

Espoo’s work to improve the recycling of plastic began in 2018 when we joined the Closed Plastic Circle project orchestrated by the Smart & Clean Foundation. Since the Smart & Clean Foundation ended its activities in 2021, the City of Espoo has been in charge of coordinating the project. During the foundation’s existence, a great deal of information had been produced and collected about the bottlenecks of plastic recycling, and conclusions had been reached on the most useful next steps. At the end of 2022, everything culminated in the new ‘Closed Plastic Circle – from Pilots into Practice’ project. The main objective of the new project is to develop the market for recycled plastic in different ways, including conceptualising the recycling of hard plastic, providing more detailed information on materials, piloting projects, and developing public procurement processes.

Several reports produced under the project called for better coordination of supply and demand. For example, according to the action plan to increase the recycling rate of plastic packaging, the development of the market for recycled plastic is even more essential than sorting plastic. Similarly, the data model illustrating the flows of packaging plastics in different operating environments shows that raising the recycling rate of plastic requires sufficient recycling capacity and sufficient demand for recycled plastic. The reports commissioned by the foundation on the continuation of operations and the future of plastic recycling also stated that we should invest in increasing recycling capacity and the demand for recycled plastic products as well as in offering financial incentives.

Interest in the recycling of hard plastic stems from a study commissioned by the foundation, according to which only a small percentage of hard plastic is collected compared to packaging plastic, even though roughly the same amount of both plastics is generated. The report stated that hard plastic could easily be used in the construction of infrastructure. The study indicated that the use of recycled plastic is limited, in particular, by the challenges related to the collection and quality of plastic and the lack of standardisation. This also gave us the idea to produce more information on materials. Recycling hard plastic is one of the key areas to be developed according to the final action plan prepared by the foundation.

Increased recycling of plastic packaging requires a better market for recycled plastic.

We want to develop public procurement processes because it is a natural way for the city to create financial incentives to recycle plastic and because it is one of the recommended areas to be developed in the above-mentioned action plan. In addition, the new project includes various pilots, i.e. experiments, and promoting the recycling of construction and demolition plastics, as the circular economy of construction is one of the priorities of Espoo’s circular economy strategy.

Thus, the ‘Closed Plastic Circle – from Pilots into Practice’ project will be divided into two sections: practical experiments & process development and the provision of information. By conducting experiments, we aim to find new ways and places for recycling plastic in the hope that new concepts resulting from the experiments will increase both supply and demand. We will collect information on the properties of various recycled plastics, including possible uses for them. We will also investigate the role of plastics in public procurement and ways in which public procurement could promote the circular economy. Providing more information on the properties of recycled materials increases their demand, and financial incentives can be created through public procurement. You can find more information and the latest news on the project webpage.

We can all participate in making a change.

In our work, we rely not only on the achievements of our predecessors but also on the expertise of the plastics industry and the insights of our successors. We always want to be up to date on the most effective ways of creating change, so we need information on new challenges from all users of plastics. We also need implementers for the solutions we develop. This work is carried out for users, buyers, sellers and researchers of plastic – if you have ideas about solutions, difficulties, phenomena or future scenarios related to plastic recycling that have not been mentioned here, we would be glad to hear them. Espoo’s goal is to be carbon-neutral by 2030 – join the movement!

You can find all the reports mentioned in this text and further information on the Closed Plastic Circle project webpage. More information about circular economy work carried out by the city is available in the Circular Economy in 2022 report.

Mia Johansson

Project Manager+358 40 5530439

Outi Jounila

Project Coordinator+358 40 8315947

Tiia Tuuri

Development Manager, ecosystems+358 40 6369757
  • Sustainability