Aimplas, the Plastics Technology Centre, with the participation of the Acteco and Realturf companies have kicked off the Reciturf project. The project aims to give a boost to the circular economy in synthetic turf sector.

The plan is to use innovative waste processing methods to increase recycling and recovery rates. The project is funded by the Valencian Innovation Agency (AVI) and will focus on developing new recycling processes, including biological/enzymatic degradation and chemical recycling of the polyurethane backing. The different materials will be separated for subsequent mechanical recycling. The polypropylene, PET and polyurethane that make up this product can then be recovered.

The project will prove that the methods are viable and lay out the costs. The Reciturf project involves the sector’s entire value chain and aims to make large-scale deployment feasible.

The project is in line with the circular economy model, as well as SDG 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, SDG 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production, and SDG 13 on Climate Action of the European Union.