Extrusion International 5-2025-USA

80 Extrusion International 5/2025 RECYCLING TOMRA’s sorting technologies are equipped to han- dle both streams – enhancing quality and consistency through smart sensor con gurations that adapt to feedstock variability. By integrating post-consumer and post-industrial inputs, recyclers can optimize through- put and generate recycled PET that meets speci cations for new tray production. Outlook: Scaling tray-to-tray recycling for the future Tray-to-tray recycling has the potential to become a mainstream solution for managing post-consumer PET packaging. While the segment is still in its early stages compared to bottle recycling, innovation and expand- ing infrastructure can close this gap step by step. In- vestments in automated sorting technologies, material standardization and dedicated collection schemes are expected to improve feedstock consistency and recy- clate quality. Collaborative efforts between packaging producers, recyclers and equipment manufacturers will be critical in scaling operations and overcoming design- for-recycling barriers. Equally critical will be the regula- tory approval to use recycled content in food trays. Once the ongoing review concludes positively, the industry can expect a renewed impetus. Tray-to-tray recycling is poised to evolve from a niche innovation into a core pillar of circular packaging sys- tems in the coming years. This provides a viable path- way to reduce reliance on virgin plastic and meet crucial recycled content targets. TOMRA Recycling www.tomra.com Valerio Sama, Business Development Manager – Packaging at TOMRA Recycling Black Gold on Repeat – Vinyl Recycling It de es the ravages of time again and again and celebrates an almost endless comeback – the record. A traditional company from Haarlem is partly responsible for the previous peak in the seventies, as well as for the modern boom: Record Industry. Since 1958, thousands of records in all sorts of color variations have been pro- duced every day west of Amsterdam. To ensure that not a single gram of the precious PVC plastic is wasted, Re- cord Industry recycles production waste directly on site using shredding technology fromWEIMA and Wanner. While many pressing plants had to close at the end of the 1990s due to the triumph of the compact disc (CD), the record industry has managed to remain successful in the music business to this day. This is now paying off, as records have once again become a sought-after me- dium in recent years, which is not only appreciated by music lovers. In addition to the nostalgia and collector's value, the quality of the analog sound is increasingly preferred. The company's manufacturing process proves that supposedly outdated technology can pursue modern sustainability goals. Record Industry sees itself as a full- service provider. Artists can record and mix music di- rectly in the company's own recording studio. Next, the audio is cut into either a lacquer disc or copper plate (DMM) using a cutting lathe, which translates the audio signal into a modulated groove. This master is then pro- cessed through several steps in a galvanic (electroplat- ing) process to create stampers, metal molds that are used to press the grooves into vinyl, producing the nal record. So-called pucks (similar in shape to those used in PVC plastic material cycle in vinyl recycling