Shredding unit disposes of plastics waste

Businesses in the bakery and beverage sectors can cut disposal costs of end-of-life and damaged rigid plastics distribution containers with an innovative, mobile recycling unit.

Businesses in the bakery and beverage sectors can cut disposal costs of end-of-life and damaged rigid plastics distribution containers with an innovative, mobile recycling solution from Axion Recycling.

Mounted on a curtain-sided lorry, the plastic shredder works on-site to reduce plastic crates, trays, bulk bins and ingredient tubs to shreds in seconds, enabling these bulky items to be disposed of in a cost-effective, convenient and environmentally-friendly way.

The material is then taken away from an organisation's premises to a plastics reprocessor and eventually re-used in new products, rather than sent to landfill.

Keith Freegard of Axion Recycling claims the concept represents a breakthrough in dealing with a previously-ignored recycling issue and predicts the service will be of particular value to bakery suppliers, manufacturers and retailers, including supermarkets, who may have significant quantities of unwanted rigid plastic items to dispose of.

As the unit can shred plastics on-site, this mobile service offers a convenient disposal route for bulky items such as bakery trays, crates and containers.

Previously they had been difficult and uneconomical to recycle due to high transportation costs, says Freegard.

The machine can shred hundreds of trays and crates in a day, so Axion is looking for volume to make the service most cost-effective.

Where there are several customers in the same area with waste plastics, Axion can arrange to visit them while the shredder is in the vicinity.

Developed by Axion, the mobile plastic recycling unit is funded by WRAP (the Waste and Resources Action Programme www.wrap.org.uk ) to assess whether the system can be economically, technically and commercially viable.

WRAP initiated the project after market research revealed large amounts of rigid plastic were not being recycled.

As bulky rigid plastics items take up a lot of space when transported, it is hoped by shredding the plastics first and thus saving space, that collection and transport will be much more economically feasible.

Targeting commercial and industrial sectors, the project aims to substantially increase plastics recycling capacity in the UK - possibly around 600 tonnes by the end of this year.

Freegard adds that the service has the exciting potential to divert a tremendous amount of rigid plastics from landfill, with an obvious, beneficial impact on the environment, as well as offering companies major savings on disposal costs.

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