Plastic Recycling : Starlinger installs first food-grade plastics recycling facility in India

Srichakra Polyplast, a leading plastic recycling and waste management company based in in Hyderabad, invested US$10 million (€8.6 million) for upgrading and expanding its plastics recycling capabilities. The new recoSTAR PET 165 iV+ is the first of its kind Starlinger has installed in India. It features US FDA-approved technology for processing post-consumer PET bottle flakes. The produced rPET pellets are suitable for food-contact and can be used for food and beverage packaging like bottles for water and carbonated soft drinks, food trays, etc. With this technology upgrade Srichakra is now able to provide premium food-grade quality rPET for food packaging to the Indian and international markets.

For the processing of post-consumer polyolefin packaging Srichakra uses a Starlinger recoSTAR dynamic 165 C-VAC recycling line with Starlinger’s unique odour reduction technology. If, for example, packaging made of polyolefins such as PP or HDPE has been used for food, cosmetics or cleaners, substances from these products can migrate into the plastic and cause an unpleasant smell after the recycling process. Starlinger’s three-step odour reduction procedure – consisting of material preparation, highly efficient degassing, and post-treatment in the smell extraction unit of the pellets – eliminates even deeply embedded smells so that the recycled pellets are suitable for use also in demanding applications.

The Starlinger polyolefin recycling line produces up to 1300 kg of high-quality odour-free recycled pellets per hour that can be directly converted into home and personal care product packaging such as bottles for lotions, shampoo or detergents.

According to the UN Plastic Waste Management Programme India, only one fourth of the country’s plastic waste is currently recycled. The recycled materials themselves are generally not high quality, which results in low levels of re-usage. With the newly installed equipment Srichakra produces high-quality recycled plastics that can be used to substitute virgin resin. This way, the company significantly contributes to the development of a sustainable plastic waste management model in India.