Multicomponent recycled plastics: considerations about their use in food contact applications

Two multicomponent post-use recycled plastics named as NPP40A3 (formulated with 85% HDPE and 15% of a PP-PS-PVC mixture) and NPP40A6 (formulated with 80% NPP40A3, 10% ABS and 10% HIPS), both of them with 3.1% of plasticizer and 0.6% of stabilizer to obtain a better final product, have been analysed. Plastics were extracted both with dichloromethane and methylbenzene, and analysed by HPLC and GC-MS to identify the maximum possible number of compounds. Major additives quantified were di(ethylhexyl)phthalate (3.262% and 2.955% respectively) and Irganox 1010 (0.473% and 0.498% respectively). Several degradation compounds have been detected. In order to check if these plastics could be used in food contact applications, global and specific migration tests have been applied. The results obtained are discussed.