Starlinger received a new No Objection Letter from the US Food and Drug Administration covering its polypropylene cap-to-cap recycling process on the recoSTAR dynamic recycling system. The clearance applies to the manufacture of beverage bottle caps made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer polypropylene. According to the FDA decision, the material produced on the specified Starlinger line is approved for Conditions of Use C to H, which includes hot fill applications. The approved machine configuration comprises a recoSTAR dynamic recycling extruder equipped with a C-VAC degassing module for highly efficient degassing, as well as the PCUplus unit installed at the end of the recycling process. PCUplus provides permanent odor reduction and completes the removal of volatile organic compounds, steps that are important in producing food-grade recyclate from post-consumer plastics.
Scope of the FDA clearance
The NOL covers beverage bottle cap production using 100 percent recycled post-consumer polypropylene processed on the Starlinger recoSTAR dynamic system. The approval under Conditions of Use C to H enables use of the recycled PP for hot fill applications in addition to other specified use conditions.
Process configuration and performance
The authorized setup includes a recoSTAR dynamic extruder with the C-VAC degassing module to ensure highly efficient degassing, paired with PCUplus at the end of the process to achieve permanent odor reduction and complete VOC removal. These steps are identified as important for producing food-grade recyclates from post-consumer PP.
“In the beverage industry, PP and HDPE are the materials mostly used for plastic bottle caps,” said Paul Niedl, Commercial Head of Starlinger recycling technology. “Already in 2021 we got the FDA LNO for our HDPE bottle-to-bottle and cap-to-cap recycling processes. Now we can close the loop also for beverage bottle caps made of polypropylene so that they can be returned to the recycling stream and be reused without downcycling.”
