Plastic, metal and drinks packaging

Collect PMD(P+MD) at work as well as at home

Household PMD(P+MD) is a relatively common waste stream. Now that the capacity of sorting facilities has expanded, businesses and organisations can also separate PMD(P+MD) waste. This is a good development for a waste-free world!

After collection, plastic, metal and drinks cartons PMD(P+MD) are sorted into three sub-streams. This sorting is done in specialist sorting facilities using air, infra-red, screening methods and water baths. The 3 waste streams are processed individually and processed to become raw materials again. Plastics are separated by quality and type including PE, PP and PS. This creates raw materials for a range of products such as bottles, sweaters, outdoor benches, rubbish bags and mattresses. Metal packaging is separated into ferrous and non-ferrous and is then converted into new products in the metal industry. Recycled aluminium is used to manufacture all sorts of products, ranging from new metal packaging to new bicycles. Recycled aluminium is also used in the transport sector and in the construction industry. The cardboard from drinks cartons is washed and treated and then re-used in the paper industry.

We ensure that as much as 80 to 90% of the PMD(P+MD) we collect becomes a raw material which new products can be made out of. This is an unbelievably high recycling percentage, in comparison with other collectors and waste-treatment companies. The better it is sorted at source, the higher the recycling percentage. The remaining 10 to 20% of PMD(P+MD), also has a useful application: we use it to generate energy.

Download the Dutch sorting guide
Download the Belgium sorting guide