Interview with Dr Thomas Probst and Anna Roeb from the bvse Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Disposal
The bvse Sector Association for Plastics Recycling (bvse-Fachverband Kunststoffrecycling)
The Association for Plastics Recycling, which is a sector within the bvse Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management (bvse-Bundesverband Sekundärrohstoffe und Entsorgung e. V.) covers more than 300 member companies. These comprise the full waste value chain, from waste collection, sorting, treatment and processing to the production of recyclates. In addition, there are companies that trade with plastics waste or act as brokers. In total, the bvse brings together around 1,100 companies with approximately 60,000 employees and a turnover of around 20 billion euros. With 10 sector associations, the bvse represents 14 material streams in the recycling and waste management industry.
Our interview partners
Dr. habil. Thomas Probst has been a senior consultant at the bvse for more than 20 years, responsible for plastics recycling, hazardous waste and the recycling of tyres and rubber. He is the link between the bvse, its member companies and politics. The International bvse Altkunststofftag bears his handwriting and, under his leadership, has become an important industry meeting. Probst is now retiring at the end of the year.
Anna Roeb is taking over as a senior consultant and will contribute her practical knowledge to help shape political and technical frameworks. Before joining the association, she worked at Der Grüne Punkt and the consulting firm HolyPoly on concrete solutions for recycling projects, from material development to market launch. Her motivation: to further develop plastics recycling in such a way that economic efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand.
| Dr. Thomas Probst: | Anna Roeb: |
The numerous new developments in sorting technologies are a very good example of successful commitment. Such a boom should also be possible in the processing and recycling of plastics. Certainly, legal requirements such as recycled content targets, which have such a positive effect on PET recycling, must also be transferred to other areas. And plastics recycling must also be economically viable. |
The transformation to a real circular economy can only succeed if all players along the value chain pull together. Each stage has its own requirements and challenges, but also great potential for jointly developing solutions. |
Mister Probst, you have been a successful subject manager at bvse for more than 20 years and you are now retiring at the end of 2025. How has the industry developed during this time and how the work at bvse? What are some of the professional highlights you can look back on?
What is special for me is that the activities at bvse are so diverse. They include, for example, national and European lobbying, training courses, lectures, panel discussions, market reports and the content design of conferences and forums. My training as a chemist helps me to master the extensive requirements of chemical legislation across all waste streams. The numerous challenges facing small and medium-sized enterprises, which now have to cope with very high bureaucratic and legal requirements, also influence the work at bvse. In other words, the number of requirements placed on the association continues to rise and, unfortunately, so does the level of detail required. Finally, the importance of lobbying in Europe cannot be overestimated in recent years. Here, the bvse works closely with Recycling Europe (formerly EuRIC) at all levels and, specifically in relation to plastics, with PRE – Plastics Recyclers Europe.
Highlights of my professional career have been my delegation trips to the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. In addition, I would like to mention my participation in a longer discussion on REACH in a large group with distributed roles at the Federal Chancellery. And finally, the activities on end of waste in the Seville processes, here with scrap and plastics, are unforgettable for me. In my teaching activities at RWTH Aachen University, the intellectual exchange with students is as inspiring as helpful when explaining plastics recycling to others.
Where do you think plastics recyclers stand today? What are the biggest challenges for the industry at present?
Plastics recycling has evolved from the initial production of single-type recyclates, in accordance with the quality index for used plastics, to recyclates for specific end product applications. Plastics recycling is now thought out backwards from the end product, i.e. the end application, to the suitable processing input, the necessary sorting and the specific treatment. The necessary quality assurance measures are carried out at all stages, from waste status to end product.
The possibilities for sorting appear to be almost limitless thanks to the application of new techniques and technologies, which can also be supported by AI. And these new sorting techniques can be applied to all waste streams.
Unfortunately, plastic recycling itself is currently in distress. New ways are being sought to overcome the crisis. PET recycling is not only asserting itself in these difficult times, but is also demonstrating ways in which plastic recycling can survive across the board.
The recycling of mixed plastics has also evolved. It generates high-quality products that significantly outperform the original materials made of wood, steel or concrete. With its product diversity, the recycling of mixed plastics is surviving these difficult times. Mixed plastic products, which are often discriminated against , are satisfactorily demanded throughout Europe and internationally.
What advice would you give to companies and stakeholders involved in the circular economy with plastics on the way to the future? In your opinion, which measures are most urgent and should be tackled by key players such as industry, science and administration?
It is high time to put the results of the various discussion groups into practice. Innovations in processing and recycling are urgently needed. Such developments will then also arouse the interest of stakeholders. Mechanical and plant engineering in Germany can also provide far-reaching impetus in the field of recycling. The numerous new developments in sorting technologies are a very good example of successful commitment. Such a boom should also be possible in the processing and recycling of plastics. Certainly, legal requirements such as recycled content targets, which have such a positive effect on PET recycling, must also be transferred to other areas. And plastics recycling must also be economically viable.
Mr Probst, what particular highlight stands out in your memory from your professional experience?
One highlight was the lobbying in a large stakeholder group in Frankfurt against the classification of titanium dioxide as a hazardous substance. The numerous consultations at various levels were followed by extensive detailed work. With the special support of the bvse, action was successfully taken against the classification of titanium dioxide under chemicals legislation at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and during revision at the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The previous classification under chemicals legislation was corrected. This is important because the classification of titanium dioxide was intended to be the first step towards further fillers.
Questions for both of you: In your opinion, how important is cooperation across the entire plastics value chain in the transformation to a circular economy? What role does the plastics and recycling industry dialogue group play in this, which has been established by bvse and BKV in close cooperation?
Dr. Probst: Open dialogue across the entire plastics value chain takes place at the BKV's discussion groups and events, which are occasionally held jointly with the bvse. In my opinion, the urgent priority is to closely integrate plastics recycling with the plastics conversion industry. Still, there are great potentials that can be exploited to the benefit of both sides. This will help to build mutual understanding and trust. Positive examples of short routes from recycling to conversion are presented at discussions and conferences which can then be put into practice. Broader application of recyclates in the products of the plastics conversion industry is ecologically and economically beneficial.
Anna Roeb: The transformation to a real circular economy can only succeed if all players along the value chain pull together. Each stage has its own requirements and challenges, but also great potential for jointly developing solutions. The Plastics and Recycling Industry Dialogue Group plays a central role in this and creates precisely this space for open, constructive exchange. I see the Dialogue Group as an important driver for finding common positions and also for building trust within the industry.
Ms Roeb, as a subject manager for the bvse, what would you like to achieve for plastics recycling companies in the next five years?
My goal is to significantly improve the framework conditions for the use of recycled materials and plastics recycling as a whole. To this end, I would like to give recycling companies a stronger voice in political and regulatory processes and promote practical solutions that actually work in the industry. They need to be heard and recognised.
In the coming years, it will be crucial to create market incentives for the use of recycled materials, especially before the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) takes effect. To this end, standards should be harmonised and the quality of recycled materials made more visible. Overall, I would like to contribute to plastic recycling being recognised accordingly and fostered as a central pillar of a functioning circular economy, not only ecologically, but also economically.
Ms Roeb, what will be your priorities in the future? Are there any new issues on the horizon? How do you intend to shape the work at bvse?
One focus of my work will be to strengthen the networking of politics, the recycling industry and plastics converters. Only if there is cooperation along the entire value chain, recycled materials can be successfully used in the long term. I would also like to play an active role in shaping topics such as design for recycling, the further development of quality standards for recycled materials and transparency instruments to ensure quality.
New topics are currently emerging, primarily as a result of European regulations such as the PPWR or the Ecodesign Regulation. Here, I want to ensure that the perspective of recyclers is taken into account at an early stage.
I see the work at bvse as a dialogue: to develop solutions jointly with member companies, sharpen positions and constructively bring them into the political process. In doing so, it is important to me to integrate new working approaches and modern forms of cooperation into the association. This helps to share knowledge efficiently, shape issues more agile and network the industry even more closely.
Mr Probst, markets and competitiveness have become quite challenging and tough, especially in the last few years. What would you wish for your successor, Ms Roeb, to be successful in her work at bvse? What should she pay attention to?
Yes, it has become very difficult to survive in the current market conditions. There are certainly no magic formulas, no silver bullet. Every speaker has to find their own way. In Ms Roeb, the bvse has an experienced successor who has already proven herself many times, and very positively in plastics recycling. Ms Roeb is also familiar with the practice of plastics recycling. Any advice I might offer would certainly not be helpful. But the discussion groups within the plastics industry, in which Ms Roeb has been warmly welcomed as a representative of plastics recycling, should promote further exchange.
Ms Roeb, Dr. Probst, than you very much for the interview!
(November 2025, Photo: © bvse)