• 1) What is the objective and scope of the project?
• 2) Is the purpose of the study the comparison between chemical and mechanical recycling?
• 3) How do you ensure confidentiality?
• 4) What data do we need?
• 5) How is the data collected?
• 6) What results will be obtained from the study?
• 7) What are the deadlines?

1) What is the objective and scope of the project?

The objective is to collect detailed technical and socio-economic data regarding recycling and recovery routes of waste plastics, in particular pathways that include chemical recycling, mechanical recycling, and energy recovery.

The data collected will serve as a basis to evaluate mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery of waste plastic from a life cycle, technical and economic perspective.

The scope of the project covers all plastic products that will result in plastic waste in the European Union.

2) Is the purpose of the study the comparison between chemical and mechanical recycling?

It is not a comparison between mechanical and chemical recycling. The focus is on assessing how the combination of the three technological routes (mechanical recycling, chemical recycling, and energy recovery) contributes to increasing recycling and recovery rates and makes plastic waste management more sustainable.

3) How do you ensure confidentiality?

The name of the companies involved in the project will not be published unless they give their consent. The information will be treated confidentially. The data will be processed in anonymised form, and where possible aggregated by type of process, establishing ranges for each of the study variables.

Furthermore, participating organisations have the possibility to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with AIMPLAS, the consultant contracted by the JRC for the data collection.

4) What data do we need?

For the study there are two types of data collection exercises. 1- Mini-survey: Please complete it if you think that a technological process or a pathway has been overlooked by the JRC-AIMPLAS literature survey. 2- Detailed questionnaire: For all pathways retained for the study, the next step is to complete the inventory data document regarding inputs and outputs of the process, as well as operational and economical records.

5) How is the data collected?

A specific questionnaire should be completed. There are two ways to access the questionnaire. a) By email: You may contact us via datarecycling@aimplas.es b) On-line: Download the detailed questionnaire directly on the website. Please, refer to "Companies data collection" section.

6) What results will be obtained from the study?

The JRC plans to make an in-depth life cycle and techno-economic assessment using the data provided, in order to get a better understanding about the advantages and drawbacks of the different plastic waste treatment options and how they can best be used in a complimentary way. Moreover, the study should also help to better understand how to distinguish recycling from recovery for hybrid processes that both recover materials and produce energy.

7) What are the deadlines?

AIMPLAS requests all stakeholders to complete the detailed questionnaire by 2^nd of July at the latest, in order to be able to analyse and validate all the data and send it to the JRC in an aggregated form. The JRC expects its analysis to be completed by the end of this year.