Italian technology plast / April 2024 |
developed this new project on the basis of the Repeter pellets , which we want to offer to a new category of processors engaged in the production of PET containers for liquids ” Dentis adds . “ This investment has increased the number of our washing lines , which range from the historic one operating at our headquarters , to the other two , housed in a new shed , the first of which has been already started , while the other will be operational by 2025 .” The Piedmontese company also continues to produce incessantly the Petalo flakes keeping up to their renowned quality , also in the foreign French and Spanish plants , mainly dedicated to serving the markets of these two nations , as well as the operators from other European countries that buy this type of product . |
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND “ It should be remembered that a more attentive political sensitivity could give new impetus to the plastic recycling industry : we do not limit ourselves only to proclamations on this issue , but also to encourage a more selective separate collection , so that the post-consumer recovery sector will certainly have a benefit , because at this time it is necessary to increase production volumes and improve quality ,” Dentis adds . “ A real paradigm shift is needed that puts PET recycling at the centre in the specific sector , with the aim of recovering this material almost indefinitely . To do this , however , the current approach to separate collection is not enough , as it delivers good quality waste but still not sufficient |
to allow a recycling process to be repeated unchanged over time – although , in this sense , we can say that Italy has reached levels of excellence in the separate collection of plastic packaging waste , an example for all of Europe .” According to Dentis , a more selective separate collection with the use of eco-compactors is also necessary , in order to achieve the set targets , including the improvement of the quality of postconsumer recycled products . „ On the market there is certainly no shortage of systems made available by manufacturers ,“ he concludes . „ This both in terms of technology and the quality of the finished product that they are able to deliver at the end of the production process .” |
NEW EQUIPMENT , NEW PRODUCTS Thanks to two new Starlinger recoSTAR extrusion lines , Dentis Recycling has been able to expand its product portfolio and now offers food-grade rPET pellets in addition to the Petalo flakes obtained from hot-washed PET bottles . In 2021 , the Italian post-consumer PET bottle recycler launched a new project to expand its rPET production capacity and purchased two Starlinger recoSTAR PET 330 HC iV + recycling systems . The new lines went into operation in 2022 and today they are recycling post-consumer PET bottles into high-quality rPET pellets that Dentis sells under the Repeter brand . With a combined production capacity of 6.6 tons per hour , the total annual production of the lines amounts to |
50,000 tons of superior quality rPET pellets . Dentis Recycling reached an important milestone as the company recycled more than 65,000 tons of post-consumer PET bottles per year . Once the investment is completed , the potential recycling capacity of the Piedmontese site will amount to about 130,000 tpy of postconsumer PET bottles . „ We want to support the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy ,“ says Roberto Dentis , co-owner of Dentis Recycling . „ Thanks to the Starlinger lines we can be sure that the recycled PET we produce meets the high standards requested by our customers in the food and beverage packaging industry . By producing quality food-grade rPET pellets , we are able to close the loop for PET bottles and effectively contribute to the achievement of European recycling targets , ensuring that postconsumer plastic packaging is no longer waste to be disposed of , but an important resource for high-quality packaging .“ The food-grade rPET pellets produced by the Starlinger lines and marketed under the Repeter brand are available in different colours . In addition to approvals for use in food packaging from a number of major brands , the Starlinger PET recycling process has received positive feedbacks from the European Food Safety Authority EFSA and LNO from the U . S . Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ). Dentis Recycling supplies foodgrade rPET pellets to major brands in the food and beverage industry , as well as to local plastic packaging manufacturers . |
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