Safety assessment of the process ‘POLY RECYCLING PET DIRECT IV+’, used to recycle post-consumer PET into food contact materials

The EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids (CEP Panel) assessed the recycling process POLY RECYCLING PET direct IV+ (EU register number RECYC161). The input is hot caustic washed and dried poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) flakes originating from collected post-consumer food contact PET containing no more than 5% of PET from non-food consumer applications. The flakes are extruded to pellets, which are then further crystallised. Crystallised pellets are then preheated and fed into the solid-state polycondensation (SSP) reactor. Having examined the challenge test provided, the Panel concluded that the three steps, extrusion, crystallisation and SSP, are critical in determining the decontamination efficiency of the process. The operating parameters that control their performance are well defined: temperature, gas flow, pressure and residence time. It was demonstrated that this recycling process is able to ensure that the level of migration of potential unknown contaminants into food is below the conservatively modelled migration of 0.1 μg/kg food. Therefore, the Panel concluded that the recycled PET obtained from this process, intended to be used at up to 100% for the manufacture of materials and articles for contact with all types of foodstuffs for long-term storage at room temperature, with or without hotfill, is not considered of safety concern. Trays made of this recycled PET are not intended to be used in microwave and conventional ovens, and such use is not covered by this evaluation.