Recycling : Tray-to-tray recycling is gaining momentum
Tray-to-tray recycling is becoming a recognized approach for advancing circularity in plastic packaging, especially for food-grade applications. TOMRA Recycling examines the latest developments in tray-to-tray recycling, detailing the challenges, technologies and market trends shaping its growth.
A growing opportunity for PET trays
Unlike bottle-to-bottle recycling, the PET tray stream has historically been underutilized. Around one million tons of PET trays enter the European market each year, yet approximately 70 percent of this material is lost, with only about 300,000 tons currently collected for recycling. This represents a significant missed opportunity for circularity.
New EU legislation – including the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) – is pushing the market forward. These regulations increase recycled-content requirements for beverage bottles and extend similar principles to packaging beyond bottles, prompting tray producers to seek dedicated recycled PET sources.
Overcoming barriers through technology
PET trays often feature multilayer structures, inks, adhesives and different label types, which complicate sorting and decontamination. Collection systems remain inconsistent across regions, and unlike PET bottles, trays are frequently collected with mixed packaging, leading to variable feedstock quality.
Advanced sorting technologies are essential to solve these challenges. TOMRA’s AUTOSORT™ can distinguish between mono-layer and multilayer PET trays – a crucial step since only mono-layer trays are suitable for high-quality closed-loop recycling.
At the flake stage, INNOSORT™ FLAKE and AUTOSORT™ FLAKE use multi-sensor detection to identify polymer type, color and transparency and remove contaminants such as opaque PET, PVC, PC and metals. Together, these systems enable purity levels above 99 percent, providing the high-quality feedstock needed for food-grade recycled PET.
Scaling circularity for the future
Tray-to-tray recycling is still at an earlier stage compared to bottle recycling, but innovation and expanding infrastructure are rapidly closing the gap. Investments in automated sorting technologies, material standardization and dedicated collection schemes are improving both feedstock stability and recyclate quality.
Once regulatory approval to use recycled content in food trays is finalized across Europe, the market is expected to gain further momentum. Tray-to-tray recycling is positioned to evolve from a niche innovation into a core pillar of modern packaging systems – reducing reliance on virgin plastic and supporting the transition toward a fully circular economy.