EU nations back chemical recycling for plastic bottles

BRUSSELS, Belgium — European nations voted Friday to allow for chemical recycling to play a larger role in the production of plastic bottles, overcoming reservations about the energy-intensive technology. Under EU rules, single-use plastic bottles need to contain at least 25 percent of recycled plastic — with the share set to increase to 30 percent by 2030. Currently only plastic recycled through mechanical techniques, which involve washing, shredding and remelting them, can be used towards the quota. But representatives for the European Union’s 27 member states voted to extend the same benefit to chemically recycled plastics. The vote follows a proposal put forward by the European Commission aimed at supporting investment in the plastic recycling sector, which is struggling against competition from China and other parts of Asia. The change “will benefit the plastics industry, they now have consistent and clarified rules to calculate, verify and report the recycled content,” said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokeswoman for the European Commission. She defined the vote as a “first milestone f

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