Meaning
Legislative frameworks establish the safety and traceability requirements for recycled plastic materials intended for food contact within the European market. Known as regulation eu 2022 1616, this law governs the authorization of recycling processes and the quality control systems used by recyclers and converters. It defines the rules for decontamination efficiency and the monitoring of recycled plastic batches.
This legislation replaces older plastic recycling directives in the European Union.
Recycling Technology
Decontamination processes must be evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority to ensure they can remove contaminants. Under the guidelines of regulation eu 2022 1616, only authorized technologies can be used to produce recycled plastic for food packaging. This ensures that the recycling step removes any hazardous chemicals that were present in the collected waste.
Compliance Registry
Recyclers must register their facilities and their decontamination processes in a public European database. This registration allows authorities to verify that the resin was produced using a validated and authorized method. Traceability is enforced from the input waste to the final food contact material.
Converter Responsibility
Molders and converters who use recycled resin must issue a declaration of compliance to their customers. They must ensure that the material is used only under the conditions validated during the challenge tests. This prevents the misuse of recycled resins in high-temperature applications.