Food-grade plastic recycling: Starlinger and Applied Machinery tackle polyolefin standards

A new partnership promises to unlock a new recycled plastic economy ‘Down Under’.

For years, the conversation around plastic recycling has focused heavily on the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle, but as global directives push for recycled content across all packaging types – including polyolefins – the need for advanced cleaning technology has become critical.

A new partnership between Austrian technology leader Starlinger viscotec and local market heavyweight Applied Machinery promises to deliver a solution.

Starlinger viscotec, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year as a business unit of Starlinger & Co GmbH, has built its reputation around a philosophy of “food-grade without compromise”.

It offers top-tier, green solutions for plastic recycling, creating new packaging sheets entirely from recycled PET that’s globally proven to be 100 per cent safe for food packaging.

Its advanced cleaning process for plastics such as polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) beats the highest international safety standards set by regulators such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The collaboration with Applied Machinery is being driven by the extensive background of Peter Koueik, the Sales Manager for Applied Machinery’s recycling department.

rPET sheet using up to 100 per cent recycled material. Image: Starlinger viscotec

Peter’s close working relationship with Starlinger’s recycling technology division, dating back to 2016, provided the foundation for establishing Applied Machinery as the official representative for Starlinger viscotec in Australia and New Zealand.

Peter says local customers now benefit from local expertise and faster response times from representatives operating within the same time zone, enhanced after-sales support via Applied Machinery’s established service department, and targeted marketing initiatives aimed at better promoting advanced technologies across the region.

He says the addition of viscotec complements the company’s established partnerships with other global brands such as Genox and YVO Shredding Technology, further strengthening its position as a trusted partner for complete, end-to-end recycling systems across the Australasian market.

The capabilities of Starlinger viscotec were on show at the recent K Show 2025, a world-leading trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, held in Düsseldorf, Germany, where the viscoZERO technology was presented in detail.

The melt phase decontamination reactor is designed to super clean post-consumer HDPE, LDPE, PP and polystyrene to food-contact quality.

Peter says the technology is a game-changer, ushering in plastics recycling in food-grade quality that goes beyond “just PET bottles.”

The technology gives manufacturers an edge by letting them create recycled plastics that meet the toughest food-safety standards and positions companies to easily meet, and beat, new rules, such as the European Union’s 2030 mandate for using a minimum of 10 per cent recycled material in non-PET packaging.

The technology’s cleaning efficiency and lasting odour reduction capabilities are a major feature, with Starlinger exhibiting many examples of end products across sensitive industries such as food, cosmetics, and automotive.

Markus Neudorfer, Managing Partner at PETman, a recycler and converter, stated that after evaluating multiple technologies for polyolefins and polystyrene, the company chose viscoZERO technology because of its “outstanding decontamination efficiency and a lasting odour reduction.”

The core technology behind viscoZERO is its ability to perform a deep intrinsic cleaning of used plastics in the melt phase.

The viscoZERO system is available as a complete turnkey solution or can be installed as a retrofit onto existing recycling lines. Image:
Starlinger viscotec

The process effectively removes volatile contaminants, which is crucial for allowing recycled plastics to be used in sensitive applications such as food-contact packaging.

For plastics such as polyester, a major benefit is the quick increase of intrinsic viscosity (iV), a measure of material quality.

Essentially, the technology allows for genuine “recycling” instead of “down-cycling”,it avoids PP, PE, and PS plastics from being limited to low-grade products.

The viscoZERO system is available as a complete turnkey solution or can be installed as a retrofit onto existing recycling lines.

“It is a practical tool that supports the environment while creating new business opportunities for local recyclers and plastic processors by delivering odourless, high-quality, and food-safe recycled materials,” says Peter.

Starlinger viscotec also offers the viscoSHEET line, a cutting-edge sheet extrusion system designed to make quality PET sheet using up to 100 per cent recycled material. This system guarantees that the recycled content is fully decontaminated and approved for food contact by strict regulators. It also ensures the final sheet has excellent physical strength and consistent quality, making it suitable for food packaging and thermoformed products.

Features such as autoSTART, autoGAP, autoGAGE, and autoDIE make its operation simple and highly automated.

For more information, visit: www.appliedmachinery.com.au