Aimplas brings together specialists in a day of analysis in Paterna (Valencia)

The technological Institute of plastics (Aimplas) analyzed the logistical challenge of recycling of tyres in the technical conference 'Mechanical recycling of waste plastics and rubber', organized by the Institute in June with the aim to share opportunities, trends and challenges, present and future, facing the profession.

The logistical challenge of recycling of tyres was treated by José María Bermejo, valorization of Signus market development director, who noted that "due to the more than 30,000 points of collection of tires and the optimization of its management, has been reduced its cost." "Applications of the recycling of used tires in 2010 was 192.070 tons, focus mainly on filling of artificial turf, tiles and modification of bituminous specimens".

Alberto Caldeiro, technical director of the company Cicloplast, said that "in Spain are recycling plastics above the targets set by the European Union, being the sectors presenting a greater recycling of containers and packaging, agriculture, and the eléctrico-electrónico." "Today, we face challenges as the fulfillment of future legislation, the use of recycled materials in contact with food, the need to establish / strengthen management systems for energy recycling and other sectors".

For its part, Eden León, responsible for market Observatory, Aimplas, established strategies and key factors of success in the sector of recycling as "the ecological, political, economic or the technological." "So, you have to take into account factors such as structural reforms, the integrated National Plan for waste and environmental policies, the price of energy and raw materials, the economic situation, energy saving or awareness in waste management, among others".

Angela Osma, head of the Department technician of the Association Spanish of industrialists of plastics (Anaip), looked at the initiative of the Ministry of the environment, Rural and marine to include carbon footprint in public procurement. "This initiative is aligned with the European policy on climate change mitigation and from December 2010, when the Working Group was established, work is underway to define the methodology and scope of the same." There are still doubts as to what to ask to imported products; "but it is known that it will create a tool for the calculation of carbon footprint, which will be available to enterprises and that for now is only in the framework of the General Administration of the State".

Luis Horacio Rodríguez, head of subarea of firm, management and technological innovation of Acciona, stressed "the possibility of introducing waste plastics and rubber in asphalt mixtures, as well as their corresponding recycled in order to improve properties of the same, seeking environmentally correct output for them and get a viable result economically".

Sergio Giménez, responsible for business and market development, Aimplas, commented on the possibilities of use of recycled material in contact with food, from the legal point of view and implementation. So he raised seven cases, both from the point of view of the recycler and the transformer and user of recycled material, with the possibility of use of the recycled material after functional barrier and the permission of type plants for food use. "These possibilities are now a fact in Europe and are beginning to become Spain, but he is expected to further growth in the short or medium term," he explained.

The mechanical recycling of waste plastics and rubber technical workshop II will be held in Valencia in 2013.