ISO 15270:2006

Plastics — Guidelines for the recovery and recycling of plastics waste

ISO 15270:2006 provides guidance for the development of standards and specifications covering plastics recovery as well as other means of plastics waste reduction, including recycling. The standard establishes the different options for the recovery of plastics arising from pre-consumer and post-consumer sources. It also establishes the quality requirements that should be considered in all steps of the recovery process, and provides general recommendations for inclusion in material standards, test standards and product specifications. Consequently, the process stages, requirements, recommendations and terminology presented in the standard are intended to be of general applicability.

Plastiques — Lignes directrices pour la valorisation et le recyclage des déchets plastiques

General Information

• Status: Withdrawn
• Publication Date: 13-Sep-2006
• Withdrawal Date: 13-Sep-2006
• ICS: 13.030.50 - Recycling
• ICS: 83.080.01 - Plastics in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 61 - Plastics
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 61 - Plastics
• Current Stage: 9599 - Withdrawal of International Standard
• Completion Date: 03-Jun-2008

Relations

• Revised: ISO 15270:2008 - Plastics — Guidelines for the recovery and recycling of plastics waste
• Effective Date: 15-Apr-2008

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 15270
First edition
2006-09-15


Plastics — Guidelines for the recovery
and recycling of plastics waste
Plastiques — Lignes directrices pour la valorisation et le recyclage des
déchets plastiques




Reference number
ISO 15270:2006(E)
©
ISO 2006

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ISO 15270:2006(E)
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©  ISO 2006
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ISO 15270:2006(E)
Contents Page
Foreword. iv
Introduction . iv
1 Scope. 1
2 Normative references. 1
3 Terms and definitions. 1
4 Sources. 5
4.1 General. 5
4.2 Pre-consumer sources of materials. 5
4.3 Post-consumer sources of materials. 5
5 Recovery. 6
5.1 General. 6
5.2 Material recovery. 6
5.3 Energy recovery. 8
6 Quality requirements. 8
6.1 General. 8
6.2 Contamination. 9
6.3 Visual and aesthetic aspects. 9
6.4 Properties of recyclates. 9
6.5 Criteria for acceptance. 10
7 Material standards and product specifications . 10
Annex A (informative) Schematic diagram of some plastics recovery options. 11
Annex B (informative) Plastics recovery and integrated resource management. 12
Bibliography . 13

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ISO 15270:2006(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies
(ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO
technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of technical committees is to prepare International Standards. Draft International Standards
adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an
International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO 15270 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 61, Plastics.
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ISO 15270:2006(E)
Introduction
This International Standard has been developed to assist all plastics industry stakeholders in the development
both of a sustainable global infrastructure for plastics recovery and recycling, as well as of a sustainable
market for recovered plastics materials and their derived manufactured products.
For the reduction of plastics waste and in support of the objectives of sustainable development, the first
priority should be given to the reduction of material and energy resource use, in general, and to optimization of
the use of plastics raw materials, in particular, on a product life-cycle basis. Options involving the beneficial re-
use of plastics products and the integration of plastics recovery processes are important downstream
components of sustainable development.
The selection of methodologies and processes for the management of plastics waste available from pre-
consumer sources and end-of-life products may be approached using various strategies, all of which should
include a preliminary analysis of the available recovery options. In general, plastics recovery technologies can
be divided into two classes:
a) material recovery (mechanical recycling, chemical or feedstock recycling, and biological or organic
recycling);
b) energy recovery in the form of heat, steam, or electricity generation using plastics waste or derived fuels
as substitutes for primary fossil fuel resources.
As the optimal recovery option depends on many prevailing circumstances, life-cycle analysis should be
applied to decide, depending on the type and composition of the plastics waste, which options are
environmentally more favourable and sustainable. In the case of commingled plastics waste, energy recovery
and some feedstock recycling processes often represent the optimal choice. Moreover, plastics waste may be
managed utilizing a hierarchical framework comprising life-cycle strategies for prevention and minimization
both of the volume of waste, as well as of its potentially adverse environmental impact as described in
ISO 17422. The possible presence of regulated substances in plastics, in the form of either additives or
contaminants, should be considered at each stage of the recovery process.
NOTE 1 If special monomers or other feedstocks are to be recovered, effective and efficient collection of the
corresponding polymers is necessary. For mechanical recycling, and indeed all plastics recovery operations, proper
process monitoring and control procedures are required. These procedures can include the establishment of specific
guides and specifications covering recovered plastics which can include rules for traceability and assessment of
conformity.
NOTE 2 This International Standard is intended to provide a valuable resource that is globally relevant, no matter
which particular legislative or regulatory framework for plastics recovery and recycling governs its application. In order to
facilitate adoption of the standard within the contexts of diverse national and regional legislative and regulatory
environments, the following considerations are emphasized:
a) The subject of plastics recovery and recycling, being often presented within the perspective of solid-waste
management, frequently applies terminology, technology, economics and infrastructure that are based on solid-waste
management concepts. These concepts have consequently tended to define the legislative and regulatory
environments referred to above.
b) Alternative perspectives for plastics recovery and recycling that are more comprehensive than those inherent to the
solid-waste management model are available based on the concepts of integrated resource management (see
Annex B) and sustainable development. Integrated resource management focuses on more extensive systems than
solid-waste management. It applies life-cycle analysis to achieve better understanding of the resource conservation
and eco-efficiency implications of resource management strategies and policies. In this approach, the management
of both energy and material resources are viewed within an integrated perspective. The concept of sustainable
development, while also applying life-cycle thinking to waste and resource management, is more comprehensive than
integrated resource management in that it requires consideration of the so-called three pillars of sustainable
development, viz. ecological benefit, economic growth and social progress.
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ISO 15270:2006(E)
NOTE 3 Although plastics recovery and recycling is a relatively new and emerging industry, significant national and
regional efforts have been undertaken to provide legislative and regulatory frameworks applicable to one or more market
sectors. The existence of such legal and regulatory frameworks must be kept in mind by users of this International
Standard. In the interest of ensuring global relevance, an effort has been made to avoid terminology and definitions that
appear to promote one legislative or regulatory framework over another. The intent is that terminology and definitions
included in this International Standard embrace, rather than exclude, differing interpretations. A specific example is the
question of whether or not a material must be defined as waste before it can be recovered. There is no universal
agreement on this point and the standard attempts to accommodate a range of current and possible future definitions and
interpretations of the term “waste”.

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 15270:2006(E)

Plastics — Guidelines for the recovery and recycling of plastics
waste
1 Scope
This International Standard provides guidance for the development of standards and specifications covering
plastics waste recovery as well as other means of plastics waste reduction, including recycling. The standard
establishes the different options for the recovery of plastics waste arising from pre-consumer and post-
consumer sources as illustrated diagrammatically in Annex A. The standard establishes the quality
requirements that should be considered in all steps of the recovery process, and provides general
recommendations for inclusion in material standards, test standards and product specifications. Consequently,
the process stages, requirements, recommendations and terminology presented in this International Standard
are intended to be of general applicability.
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 472:1999, Plastics — Vocabulary
ISO 14021, Environmental labels and declarations — Self-declared environmental claims (Type II
environmental labelling)
ISO 17422, Plastics — Environmental aspects — General guidelines for their inclusion in standards
ASTM D 5033, Standard Guide for Development of ASTM Standards Relating to Recycling and Use of
Recycled Plastics
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 472 and the following apply.
3.1
agglomerate
shredded and/or granulated plastics material in the form of particles which cling together
3.2
baling
process in which plastics waste is compacted and secured as a bundle to facilitate handling, storage and
transportation
3.3
batch
quantity of material regarded as a single unit, and having a unique reference
NOTE Batch is primarily a processing term.
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ISO 15270:2006(E)
3.4
biodegradation
degradation caused by biological activity, especially by enzymatic action, leading to a significant change in the
chemical structure of a material
[ISO 16929:2002]
3.5
biological recycling
aerobic (composting) or anaerobic (digestion) treatment of biodegradable plastics waste under controlled
conditions using microorganisms to produce stabilized organic residues, carbon dioxide and water in the
presence of oxygen or to produce stabilized organic residues, methane and water in the absence of oxygen
3.6
collection
logistical process of moving plastics waste from its source to a place where it can be recovered
3.7
commingled plastics
mixture of materials or products consisting of different types of plastic
NOTE Mixed plastics is a synonym.
3.8
contaminant
unwanted substance or material
NOTE Impurity is a deprecated synonym of contaminant and should not be used.
3.9
converter
specialized operator capable of shaping plastics raw material to make a usable semi-finished or finished
product
3.10
depolymerization
chemical reversion of a polymer to its monomer(s) or to a polymer of lower relative molecular mass
[ISO 472:1999]
3.11
energy recovery
production of useful energy through controlled combustion
NOTE Solid-waste incinerators producing hot water, steam and/or electricity are a common form of energy recovery.
3.12
environmental aspect
element of an organization's activities or products or services that can interact with the environment
[ISO 14001:2004]
3.13
environmental impact
any change to the environment, whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from an
organization's environmental aspects
[ISO 14001:2004]
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ISO 15270:2006(E)
3.14
feedstock recycling
production of new raw materials by changing chemical structure of plastics waste through cracking,
gasification or depolymerization, excluding energy recovery and incineration
NOTE Feedstock recycling and chemical recycling are synonyms.
3.15
flake
plate-like regrind
NOTE The shape of regrind depends both on the plastics being processed and the manner of processing.
3.16
fluff
filament-like regrind
NOTE Common usage of the term “fluff” also includes shredder residue fractions produced in the commercial
recycling of durable goods such as automobiles.
3.17
homogenizing
processing to improve the degree to which a constituent and/or property is uniformly distributed throughout a
quantity of plastics material
[EN 14899:2005]
3.18
landfill
waste disposal site for the deposit of waste on to or into land under controlled or regulated conditions
3.19
lot
definite quantity of some commodity manufactured or produced under conditions that are presumed uniform
[ISO 472:1999]
NOTE Lot is primarily a commercial term.
3.20
material recovery
material-processing operations including mechanical recycling, feedstock (chemical) recycling and organic
recycling, but excluding energy recovery
3.21
mechanical recycling
processing of plastics waste into secondary raw material or products without significantly changing the
chemical structure of the material
NOTE Plastics secondary raw material is a synonym of recyclate.
3.22
micronizing
process by which a plastics material is ground into a fine powder
3.23
organic recycling
controlled microbiological treatment of biodegradable plastics waste under aerobic or anaerobic conditions
NOTE The term “biological recycling” is used synonymously.
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ISO 15270:2006(E)
3.24
post-consumer
descriptive term covering material, generated by the end-users of products, that has fulfilled its intended
purpose or can no longer be used (including material returned from within the distribution chain)
NOTE The term “post-use” is sometimes used synonymously.
3.25
pre-consumer
descriptive term covering material diverted from the waste stream during a manufacturing process
NOTE 1 This term excludes re-utilized material, such as rework, regrind or scrap that has been generated in a given
process and is capable of being reclaimed within that same process.
NOTE 2 The term “post-industrial material” is sometimes used synonymously.
3.26
purge material
material resulting from the passing of polymer through plastics processing equipment for the purpose of
cleaning the equipment, or when changing from one polymer to another, or when changing from one colour or
grade of polymer to another
3.27
recovered material
plastics material that has been separated, diverted or removed from the solid-waste stream and then re-used
or recycled
NOTE See also ISO 14021.
3.28
recovery
processing of plastics waste material for the original purpose or for other purposes, including energy recovery
3.29
recyclate
plastics material resulting from the recycling of plastics waste
NOTE Plastics secondary raw material and recycled plastics are synonyms of “recyclate”. The term “regenerate” is
also used.
3.30
recycling
processing of plastics waste materials for the original purpose or for other purposes, excluding energy
recovery
3.31
regrind
shredded and/or granulated recovered plastics material in the form of free-flowing material
NOTE The term “regrind” is frequently used to describe plastics material in the form of scrap generated in a plastics
processing operation and re-used in-house. This term is also used to describe fine plastics powder used as filler in the
recovery of plastics.
3.32
re-use
use of a product more than once in its original form
NOTE In view of the fact that a re-used product has not been discarded, re-use does not constitute a recovery option.
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ISO 15270:2006(E)
3.33
shredding
any mechanical process by which plastics waste is fragmented into irregular pieces of any dimension or shape
NOTE Shredding usually signifies the tearing or cutting of materials that cannot be crushed by fragmentation
methods applicable to brittle materials, as typically carried out in a hammer mill.
3.34
waste
any material or object which the holder discards, or intends to discard, or is required to discard
4 Sources
4.1 General
Plastics material for recovery may be obtained from various sources, including the following:
4.2 Pre-consumer sources of materials
a) Plastics producers:
⎯ off-grade materials.
b) Plastics processors:
⎯ processing purge material and scrap;
⎯ scrap products, parts and semi-finished products.
c) Others:
⎯ industrial and commercial pro
...