Mixed plastic waste poses a particular challenge for recycling because it cannot be recycled together. Product design also plays a major role, as certain types of packaging contain different types of plastic and would need to be sorted separately by consumers – such as the aluminum lid and polypropylene (PP) container of a yogurt cup. More than 85 percent of mixed plastic waste is currently lost in the EU. Therefore, EU-wide circular economy-oriented system solutions at the regional level along the entire value chain are necessary to realize this potential.

The Syschemiq project has now developed transferable concepts for sorting plastic waste, approaches to chemical recycling and strategies for scalable circular solutions for the tri-border region of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Participatory elements designed to involve consumers were also part of the project. Partners are now further applying these results, particularly at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus.

Study on consumer behavior

Fraunhofer UMSICHT conducted a study and developed a tool that, for the first time, systematically integrates consumer behavior and recycling habits into life cycle assessment (“Design for Recycling”). “The study incorporates consumer behavior into the life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental impacts of yogurt packaging, taking into account various design options and disposal scenarios,” explains Dr. Anna Kerps, a project team member at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. Key recommendations for product design included, for example, favoring larger portion sizes to reduce material consumption per kilogram of yogurt; using simple PP lid films in combination with PP cups; and providing clear, highly visible separation instructions and standardized recycling symbols to improve sorting accuracy.

In addition, the researchers analyzed the current state of packaging waste collection and sorting in Germany – as a basis for optimizing these processes (“Collection & Sorting”). To examine consumer and waste disposal behavior, they set up a “City Lab” in which citizens were directly involved and educational programs for schools on the topic of recycling were developed.

In the podcast, Dr. Anna Kerps explains, for example, what the biggest obstacles in recycling chains are, what advantages plastic has over glass or cardboard, and how consumers react to different types of product packaging.