An EU-backed research project has shown that PLA bioplastics can be recovered from mixed plastic waste and turned back into material matching virgin-grade quality, according to a press release posted on WhatTheyThink.
The ReBioCycle consortium said PLA can be separated from mixed plastic waste streams with current sorting systems.
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It can then be chemically reduced to lactic acid and converted again into high-quality PLA with the same properties as virgin material.
The sorting stage was completed at pilot scale in an operating environment, indicating that PLA recycling can work outside laboratory conditions.
The project said this creates a practical route for bringing bioplastics into current waste collection and recycling systems, as companies face tighter requirements under the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which states that all packaging must be recyclable by 2030.
In work involving industrial partners Torwash and TotalEnergies Corbion, the consortium said PLA was first sorted with existing technologies to purity levels suitable for additional processing.
The recovered material was then converted into lactic acid, its main chemical component, through Torwash’s hydrolysis process.
TotalEnergies Corbion then showed that this recovered lactic acid could be repolymerised into recycled PLA with properties equal to virgin material.
The consortium said the findings demonstrate that high-quality PLA recycling from mixed waste can be carried out using real waste streams and processes relevant to industry.
It added that the approach forms a closed loop for producing new bioplastic from recovered material.
The technologies used can fit into existing infrastructure, helping to ease implementation while aligning with wider European policy aims under the Green Deal and Bioeconomy Strategy.
The next stage will centre on developing and testing new uses for recycled PLA, while continuing work to expand the process towards full industrial deployment.
Project coordinator Kevin O’Connor said: “This is about making circularity real for industry.
“We’ve connected the full value chain in a way that supports both regulatory compliance and the transition away from fossil-based to bio-based materials.”
