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The latest Eurostat figures show that a little less than one-third (31 per cent) of Ireland's plastic waste was recycled in 2017, up from 24 per cent in 2005 or a rise of seven percentage points.
Across the EU, an average of 42 per cent of plastic waste was recycled in 2017, also up from 24 per cent in 2005, or a rise of 18 percentage points.
Lithuania (74 per cent) had the highest rate of plastic waste recycling in the EU in 2017 while Malta (24 per cent) had the lowest.
In the EU, an estimated 42 per cent of plastic packaging waste was recycled in 2017. In seven EU member states, more than half of the plastic packaging waste generated was recycled in 2017.
Compared with 2005, the recycling rate of plastic packaging waste increased by 18 percentage points (pp) in the EU (from 24 per cent in 2005 to 42 per cent in 2017). This increasing trend is observed at varied levels in all EU member states, except Croatia.
In 2017, the highest recycling rate of plastic packaging waste was recorded in Lithuania (74 per cent), ahead of Bulgaria (65 per cent), Cyprus (62 per cent, 2016 data), Slovenia (60 per cent), Czechia (59 per cent), Slovakia (52 per cent) and the Netherlands (50 per cent).
In contrast, less than a third of plastic packaging waste was recycled in Malta (24 per cent, 2016 data), Estonia, France and Finland (each 27 per cent), Ireland (31 per cent), Hungary (32 per cent), Luxembourg and Austria (33 per cent).
As manufacturers of high-quality plastic items, Essentra Components Ireland is well placed to offer generic advice to engineers involved in the sourcing process.
It is a truism that it is always helpful to a best possible outcome if both supplier and customer are fully involved – so in consideration of this ongoing conversation Essentra Components are delighted to offer some free guidance which can be downloaded from their group website at www.essentracomponents.com/en-gb/news/guides/a-short-guide-to-finding-high-quality-plastic-components.
Their view is that whether you’re designing or assembling a new product, ensuring that your plastic components are made of the best materials and to the closest tolerances is essential.
As well as affecting the quality of the final product, selecting an inaccurate part can cause faults in its function and lead to increased costs and customer dissatisfaction.
Plastic injection moulding is one of the most popular manufacturing methods for producing plastic components across the UK and wider world.
Its ability to mass produce high-quality parts to an accuracy of within 0.005 inches makes it clear why the British Plastics Federation estimated the UK turnover of the process to be in the region of £3.5 billion.
However, to guarantee a consistent level of quality, manufacturers have to consider and control a range of parameters within the process, such as temperature, mould design and machine efficiency.
For engineers and assemblers to ensure they have the highest quality parts possible, they need to choose a manufacturer who’ll offer expertise at each stage of the process.
Further information on Essentra Components products can be found on the Essentra Components website: www.essentracomponents.ie, or contact: sales@essentracomponents.ie.
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