Green plastic factory

By project StopWaste

Published on 03 February 2025

Netherlands

Gelderland

About this good practice

The Green Plastic Factory was part of the “Transform-CE” project from 2019 to 2023. Transform-CE recognises that recycling and re-use of plastic has multiple benefits. Transform-CE is supported by the Interreg North West Europe programme as part of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Solution for difficult to recycle plastic
The Green Plastic Factory stands for research and development and offers a unique solution for difficult to process plastics, low-grade mix and foil plastics. These plastics cannot be optimally separated, are sometimes contaminated and are therefore normally incinerated. This concerns approximately half of the packaging plastic waste in the Netherlands.

At the moment we are investigating in the factory how we can give these plastics a new life. In this way we prevent incineration and less CO2 is emitted. In this way we contribute to a cleaner environment and discarded plastics become valuable again. A local problem is used as a solution. The surplus of plastic waste is linked to the increasing demand on the housing market.

Show that it is possible
This is a pilot factory that starts with a smaller quantity. The factory is scalable and the capacity will be adjusted accordingly in case of greater demand. Not only is production carried out, but the raw materials are also processed in-house. This combination is unique in the recycling segment. This also serves as an example for other cities and areas in Europe.

Expert opinion

Plastic waste remains a significant environmental challenge in the European Union. In 2022, the EU generated 36.1 kg of plastic packaging waste per person, totaling 83.4 million tonnes. Of this, 41% was recycled. While the recycling rate has improved over the past decade, the overall volume of plastic waste continues to rise. To address the issue, EU has adopted the Single Use Plastic Directive, which aims to increase recycling rates to 77% by 2025 and 90% by 2029. Out of all the different plastics that exist, we are usually only able to recycle certain types, such as PET or PP. This good practice presents a solution to this problem. The Green plastic factory creates new products using all the different types of used low-grade and foil plastics, which usually end up landfilled or incinerated. While still in an early stage, the concept is proven and can thus be scaled and adopted by other regions. This solution is in line with the EU targets and contributes to higher recycling rates.

Magda Michaliková

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

The factory can be built at any location where plastics are collected or created. A small-scale factory with a processing capacity of approximately 10,000 - 20,000 tons of mixed plastics costs approximately € 1 million. All kinds of objects for road engineering or housing industry are made of it.

Evidence of success

In the meantime, all sorts of products have been made. These include houses, quay walls, lampposts, benches and scaffolding. The task now is to scale up the initiative and find sufficient sales channels for the products.

Potential for learning or transfer

The technology is proven and can be easily applied in all kinds of places. With this, approx. 50% of all plastics that are currently incinerated can be reused. At the end of their lifespan, products can still be recycled approx. 7 times. This extends their lifespan to approx. 350 years after mining.