The updated UN Model Regulations expand the usage of recycled plastic.

The Model Regulations address consignment processes, the usage, building, testing, and approval of packing and portable tanks, as well as the categorization of dangerous commodities and their listing (marking, labelling, placarding and documentation). They seek to provide a high degree of safety by preventing incidents involving people, property, and the environment while in transit, while also offering a standardised regulatory framework that may be used globally for national or international transport using any method. 

Recycled plastics are made from plastic that has been cleaned and processed into new packaging from previously used industrial packaging. The particular characteristics of the recycled material used to make new packaging must be guaranteed and routinely documented as part of a quality assurance procedure approved by the appropriate authorities. 

The industry organisations had previously proposed changes to the Model Regulations during a conference in July in order to encourage the use of recycled plastic, including easing limitations on doing so. However, the subcommittee stated that it would prefer to modernise current provisions, therefore the meeting did not approve these ideas.  

At that conference it was advised to co-ordinate efforts with an ISO working group that is examining the requirement for recycled plastics in packaging for dangerous products (ISO 16103:2005). Additionally, a remark in the current definition states that the ISO standard "must be followed." As the present version of the standard is based on experience from 20 years ago and only applies to drums and jerrycans, this has been modified to "may be followed". 

The UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (SCETDG) met in December and decided to provide the update. It was the result of two proposals, one from Belgium and the other a collaboration between the International Confederation of Plastics Packaging Manufacturers (ICPP) and the Intermediate Bulk Container Associations (ICIBCA). 

According to the current definition, each batch of recycled plastic material has to pass a quality control procedure. The word "batch" is "undefined and it has taken on numerous connotations," according to the ICPP/ICIBCA proposal. It was said that this has an impact on the recycling industry's economic sustainability by raising expenses for lower batch sizes. Therefore, the definition will be changed to specifically state that a batch is "of homogenous composition". 

The update includes a clarification that intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) can be constructed from recycled plastic and will accept plastic from other sources if it complies with specified specifications. 

IBC tanks play a part in providing businesses' products with tough and long-lasting packaging. Its resilience demonstrates its reusability. The function of IBC tanks in circular sustainability implies that intermediate bulk containers can endure use and other circumstances for extended periods of time, so that you do not need to acquire additional lower-quality storage cans or plastics. IBC tanks are manufactured from dependable and sturdy materials. The IBC tanks have the great quality of being reusable. This immense significance is crucial to the circular economy's viability. And among these roles are: 

• Pollution Elimination 

• Compactness. 

• Energy Conservation 

The revision will be included in the Model Regulations' 23rd amended version, which will be released this year and will take effect in January 2025.