Current state of the plastic waste recycling system in the European Union and in Germany

The paper presents the results of the analysis of the current state in waste management of plastic bottles in Germany. A data overview of the differences in recycling policies between different countries in the European Union is presented. The application of twelve different polymeric materials by five different application sectors in Europe shows the predominated usage areas of selected polymeric materials. A detailed insight into the German Dual System (DSD) for plastic recycling is presented, with the reference to the famous label the "Green Dot". The evolution of the recovery rates of packaging in Germany from 1991 to 2014 is presented for glass, aluminium, tinplate, polymers, paper and cardboard and liquid packaging board. It was observed that the plastic recycling rate has risen from ~ 15 % to almost 100 %, i.e. nowadays almost the whole plastic waste is either incinerated or recycled. Current data for PET-bottles return is determined as well, and detailed current information regarding the deposit system is presented. The actual applications and specific data showing the industry sectors that use the PET from recovered bottles are presented