The challenge

The four countries in the Interreg 2 Seas region (England, France, Belgium and The Netherlands) are major producers of plastic waste in the EU. Despite previous efforts, overall recycling rates are limited to around 20% - 30%. One of the main causes is the lack of collaboration and management between different actors (industry, public, private) to come to an optimized plastic waste management scheme. This results in suboptimal logistics, economic costs, but also in environmental impact, such as plastic debris ending up in water bodies.

Furthermore, cities in this region are also huge exporters of plastic waste. By doing so, they do not only displace the problem, but they are also missing economic opportunities. Countries like China have recently closed their borders to European export of plastic waste. As a result, waste management companies are urgently searching for solutions.

The region needs a change in waste management practices and an improved attitude towards plastic in the circular economy.

Our objective

PlastiCity will develop, demonstrate and implement practical new strategies and solutions to increase plastic waste recycling rates within the region.

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PlastiCity increases plastics recycling rates with at least 20% to over 50%.

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PlastiCity creates business activity and an extra 100-400 jobs in the circular economy.

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By unlocking the use of ‘lost plastics’ as secondary resources PlastiCity will increase plastic recycling rates in urban environments and stimulate job creation in the circular economy. Additionally, PlastiCity will:

  • Develop technical strategies for (reverse) logistics and reprocessing
  • Induce behavioral change and enhance the capacity of stakeholders  through urban platforms
  • Demonstrate is strategies and solutions in 4 case study cities (Ghent, The Hague, Southend-on-Sea and Douai)
  • Create new value chains and desig new products, by unlocking the full potential of ‘medium’ sized actors (SME’s, offices, retail, schools, etc.)
  • Deploy a mobile unit for testing, demonstration and sensitisation

Our approach

PlastiCity focuses on finding new combinations of technical options and urban collaboration models. The project includes the development and demonstration of innovative sustainable logistics, linked to local lumping solutions at plastic reuse and refinery hubs. We bring data and stakeholders together on Urban Platforms in a systematic way. PlastiCity is the first project in the 2Seas area that is designed specifically to support the implementation of the EU Plastics strategy in the Circular Economy.

Mapping

Mapping

Mapping actors and waste flows

One of the first steps of the PlastiCity project is mapping the quantities and qualities of waste (e.g. by making use of mobile unit). We are also surveying the behavior of the different actors involved and we will assess the geography in the 4 case study cities.
More on our mapping
Developing business cases

Developing business cases

Boosting new value chains from plastic waste

A successful circular economy requires more than just technical solutions. That's why we will implement our technical solutions in the 4 case study cities by inducing behavior change through sensitisation and systematically bringing actors together for capacity building and co-creation. We will further create and boost creating sustainable business models and cases/plans.
More on business cases and value chains
Developing scenarios

Developing scenarios

Developing and demonstrating logistics and processing solutions

We develop and demonstrate technical solutions for logistics, pretreatment and reprocessing. We deliver proof of what is feasible and how current market difficulties can be resolved by a better interplay between separation and application of recyclate. A mobile unit will be used for demonstration in 4 case study cities.
More on our scenarios
Mobile unit

Mobile unit

Creation of a mobile pretreatment unit

The mobile unit combines characterisation and (pre)processing. Through the use of the mobile unit, we will gather data by characterisation of plastic waste, demonstrate technical solutions, and sensitise actors by organising open days and a roadshow.
More on our mobile unit

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