To achieve future recycling targets and CO₂ and waste reduction, the transfer of plastic contained in mixed waste from thermal recovery to mechanical recycling is a promising option. This requires extensive knowledge of the necessary processing depth of mixed wastes to enrich plastics and their processability in polymer processing machines. Also, the selection of a suitable processing method and product application area requires appropriate material behaviour. This paper investigates these aspects for a commercial processed, mixed waste, and two different mixed polyolefin fractions. The wastes are processed at different depths (e.g., washed/not washed, sorted into polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene/unsorted) and then either homogenised in the extruder in advance or processed heterogeneously in the compression moulding process into plates. The produced recyclates in plate form are then subjected to mechanical, thermal, and rheological characterisation. Most investigated materials could be processed with simple compression moulding. The results show that an upstream washing process improves the achievable material properties, but homogenisation does not necessarily lead to an improvement. It was also found that a higher treatment depth (recovery of plastic types) is not necessary. The investigations show that plastic waste recovery with simple treatment from mixed, contaminated wastes into at least downcycling products is possible.

Plastic recyclates are granulates which are produced by the processing of plastic wastes. The circular economy package of the EU, especially the amendment of the Waste Framework Directive, sets a new goal for the use of different types of these recyclates. Corresponding primary raw materials can assure reliable qualities with respect to stable physical and chemical properties. Besides, the production of recyclates is often even more expensive than the production of primary raw material granulates. Several quality assurance measures are carried out along the value chain from plastic waste to final plastic products. Recyclates are evidently priced based on the price of primary raw material granulate. Pricing also correlates with different quality parameters, however, such as degree of mixing, degree of degradation and presence of impurities. This paper examines the correlation between different quality features and how they affect the pricing policy for recyclates. Experts and Stakeholders along the value chain of plastic recycling in Austria and Germany have been interviewed about the most important quality assurance parameters and how they (would) affect prices of recyclates. Therefore, quality parameters for the sorted plastic waste as an input for plastic waste recycling companies and manufactured recyclates are included in this paper. Experts from the plastic waste recycling industry confirmed that there is a profound correlation between price and quality that is presented and discussed in the paper: The higher the quality of the recyclates, the lower the level of impurities and the purer the recyclates, the higher the price.