Managing challenging waste fractions: Mechanical recycling of light housings and environmental assessment

While the recycling landscape is currently dominated by the packaging sector - supported by robust legislation and mature logistics - expanding circularity to technical and medical waste streams is crucial for long-term industrial resilience. Achieving a sustainable plastics economy requires moving beyond simple "design for recycling." It necessitates an integrated approach involving "design for recyclates," where products are specifically engineered to incorporate high-quality secondary materials across multiple lifecycles. To bridge the current gap, underutilized technical input streams must be tapped, requiring both the technological evolution of mechanical recycling processes and a significant improvement in the quality of resulting secondary raw materials. A prime example of this challenge is found in Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The high diversity of polymers and the increasing prevalence of complex additives in electronic components, such as light housings, make high-grade recovery particularly difficult. This study addresses these complexities by evaluating various pre-treatment and recycling strategies aimed at optimizing the separation and mechanical processing of WEEE components. By focusing on silicone-contaminated polycarbonate (PC) fractions from light housings, the research seeks to establish pathways for reintroducing these materials into the polymer cycle at the highest possible quality level.