Despite this planned expansion, implementation timelines indicate a concentration of activity close to the regulatory deadline. Around two thirds of authorities expect to launch services in early 2027. Nearly half of them aiming for the final deadline date. At the same time, more than one fifth report that they do not expect to have kerbside plastic film recycling in place by the required date.

The training centre is scheduled to commence operations at AMTEC by the end of May 2026. It is designed to address the demand for qualified personnel, particularly machine operators and supervisors, in plastic recycling. The programme includes a 72-hour course combining theoretical content with practical training. Erema is providing an Intarema 605 TE recycling system with a throughput capacity of 50 to 100 kg per hour for training purposes, enabling instruction under industrial conditions.

European composites production decreased by around three percent in 2025. Total production volume declined to approximately 2,281 kilotonnes, compared with 2,351 kilotonnes in 2024. Although the market therefore continued to contract, the decline slowed compared with earlier forecasts.

The system addresses a long-standing challenge in plastics recycling: black plastics are often excluded from mechanical recycling because established optical sorting technologies cannot reliably detect them. The demonstrator will be presented from 18 to 19 March 2026 at SOLIDS & RECYCLING-TECHNIK in Dortmund (Exhibition Centre Dortmund, Hall 4, Stand D47).

Once material starts to stick, the buildup can be fast and dense, slowing the whole process flow, causing spillages and secondary blockages, and eventually resulting in unscheduled downtime.  And that can also mean risk, as the temptation to find a quick way to remove blockages, without the proper risk assessment, safe access, tools or training, can lead to workers making unsafe decisions.

Until now, CPM Crown's European team had been distributed across three separate buildings. The new facility brings all functions together under one roof. According to the company, the consolidation reflects organisational changes in recent years, including the transition from geographically structured business units to a globally integrated functional organisation. Over the same period, the European workforce has expanded significantly.

Despite the existing EU waste acquis, significant quantities of municipal waste continue to be disposed of through landfill or incineration. According to the report, several policy approaches currently under discussion risk diverting residual waste between treatment options without reducing the overall volume remaining after prevention, reuse and recycling measures.