A two-stage process was proposed for the chemical recycling of plastics through their conversion into hydrogen and carbon. In the first of the two reactors, fed plastic chips are thermally decomposed into hydrocarbons. In the second reactor, the hydrocarbons are catalytically decomposed into carbon and hydrogen. In this study, in order to obtain basic data for the second reactor, ethane, ethene and propene were catalytically decomposed in a laboratory-scale spouted bed reactor (600 mm high, 21.6 rum in internal diameter, made of SUS304). The effects of hydrocarbon type, hydrocarbon partial pressure, nickel-plating on the spouting medium (alumina balls), temperature, and superficial gas velocity on the decomposition behavior were investigated. The main products were hydrogen and carbon. Nickel plating on the spouting medium contributed a significant increase in hydrogen yield.