Recycled plastics for food contact
Safety starts long before decontamination
For recycled materials intended for food contact, controls cover waste origin, collection, sorting, pre-processing, decontamination, quality and traceability.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 and related legislation
From a waste stream to safe material
Safety does not begin at the decontamination unit
The modules cover different stages of the chain
Module Alpha concerns the relevant Sorting Process stage for materials sent for further recycling into food-contact applications. Module A1 covers final pre-processing to prepare plastic input for decontamination, while Module A2 covers the decontamination process within the relevant scope.
Appropriate technology, controlled input and validated decontamination
Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 recognises post-consumer mechanical PET recycling as a suitable technology subject to specified conditions. These include a maximum of 5% in the plastic input of the relevant materials and articles previously used in contact with non-food materials or substances.
FROM WASTE TO FOOD-CONTACT MATERIAL
Safety depends on the whole chain, not only the final recycler
Regulation (EU) 2022/1616 governs recycled plastics intended for food contact. In practice, waste origin, collection, pre-processing, decontamination, process control and appropriate documentation all matter.
WASTE ORIGIN
Material sent for the relevant recycling operation should meet the source and collection requirements of the applicable technology and legislation.
SORTING AND COLLECTION
Traceability starts before decontamination. Appropriate sorting and input-stream control affect the safety of the subsequent process.
PRE-PROCESSING
Operations preparing material for decontamination must be clearly distinguished from decontamination itself and properly documented.
DECONTAMINATION
For the relevant processes, technological parameters and a demonstrated ability to remove contaminants are essential to meeting the requirements of the applicable recycling process.
AUTHORISATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITY
An industry scheme certificate does not replace required authorisations, operator obligations or the legal assessment of the material and its intended application.
DOCUMENTATION
Information about input material, process parameters, output and conditions of further use must be consistent and traceable.
RELATED AREAS
Check the earlier stages of the material chain
For food-contact materials, what happened to the waste and plastic before the final recycling stage matters.
Unsure where sorting ends and pre-processing or decontamination begins?
The scope must be determined from the actual operations, material status and applicable legal requirements.