Michael Brunn

Microplastic pollution in rivers, lakes and marine ecosystems presents operational and regulatory challenges for water management and environmental protection. Established detection techniques, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, require laboratory infrastructure and are often associated with extended analysis times and defined detection limits. These constraints restrict their use for real-time monitoring and routine field deployment.

The ESA app comprises modules for performance monitoring, maintenance management, anomaly detection, logbook functions and document storage. At Interzero, maintenance management is a central component of the system. As one of the largest operators of plastics sorting facilities in Europe, the company manages extensive plant technology that requires structured planning, coordination and documentation of maintenance activities.

The US-based recycling company processes approximately 650,000 tons of construction and demolition waste annually at facilities in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Founded around 30 years ago, the company has developed into a major regional operator in the C&D recycling sector. For several years, however, a considerable proportion of non-ferrous metals remained in the residual waste stream and were disposed of in landfill.

Originally designed and commissioned by Stadler in 2021, the lightweight packaging sorting facility processes approximately 120,000 tonnes per year from dual collection systems in Bremen and neighbouring federal states. With the reconstruction now finalised, the plant has returned to its previous throughput capacity. The redesign places particular emphasis on fire protection, process stability and the integration of automation technologies, including preparation for automated battery extraction.

The figures indicate continued growth in aluminium can recycling across Europe and underline the material's role in the circular economy.

The new soil washing facility is designed to treat excavated materials and C&D waste in line with Norway's increasingly stringent landfill regulations, including restrictions on landfill development, tighter leachate management and higher disposal fees. By investing in advanced treatment capacity, NGIR aims to reduce landfill volumes and increase the recovery of secondary raw materials for use in regional construction projects.

The organisation argues that the European Union's circular material use rate, which stood at 12.2 per cent in 2024 against a 2030 target of 22.4 per cent, requires a reallocation of existing EPR budgets to support waste prevention and reuse systems in addition to established waste management activities.

The latest results indicate a renewed deterioration in the assessment of the current business situation. While the previous survey showed an improvement across all regions, the current evaluation for Europe and Germany has shifted into negative territory. Only the global assessment remains slightly positive. Companies assess their own business situation more critically than the general market environment, with negative ratings across all regions surveyed.

The global polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market has entered 2026 with soft demand, volatile freight and aggressive import competition defining sentiment across most regions. • Seasonality, freight volatility and speculative activity override fundamentals • Producers in multiple regions struggle to lift run rates meaningfully • Trade flows keep shifting as buyers chase the cheapest origin Middle

The EU is consistently aligning its plastics industry with recyclability and creating binding standards with new requirements on recyclability and the use of recyclates that have a global impact. For China, as one of the largest exporters to the EU, this means that products and packaging will have to be competitive in the future not only in terms of price, but above all with regard to regulation. In their report "Impact of EU recycling regulations on China's key packaging-intensive export sectors", ICIS and CPCIF show how Europe's regulatory framework is evolving into a global benchmark that is reshaping production and material decision-making in Chinese companies.