Packaging
Environment Film industry
Shipping plastic polythene waste halfway round the world for recycling defeats the green object. A British-based company
bpi.recycled products is actually Europe’s largest recycler
of polythene waste, and offers recycling with a reduced carbon footprint.
or today’s warehouse and distribution industry, the need to be green remains at the top of the agenda. From running their wagons using fuel produced from recycled vegetable oil to pledging to cut down their total road miles, businesses across the UK are increasingly looking for any and every opportunity to run their operations in a more eco-conscious and energy effi cient way. But one factor that is all too often over- looked is the way in which we recycle our polythene packaging waste. A commonly held misconception that polythene packaging used within the distribution chain cannot be recycled at UK facilities has led to a large amount of polythene waste being shipped abroad to places like China for recycling. In fact, Europe’s largest recycler of polythene waste is actually a British-based business, with a British-based recycling operation. Through a network of Environment Agency approved sites across the UK, bpi. recycled products is able to effi ciently and ef- fectively recycle as much as 90,000 tonnes of waste polythene material every year from a wide and varied range of sources. As Sian Miles, environment and purchas- ing director at the business, explains: “Currently, a large amount of polythene waste from the warehouse and distribution sector, including pallet stretchwrap and
F 26 May 2012 Storage Handling Distribution
pallet covers, is shipped to the Far East for recycling. While this approach does help to keep waste out of landfi ll and to conserve resources, exporting our polythene waste to locations like China is a process that actually entails a massive carbon footprint.” In fact, many products produced from the resultant recycled material may have travelled up to as many as 20,000 ship- ping miles before reaching their destina- tion – effectively offsetting the green benefi ts of recycling in the fi rst place.
BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
Proving that large-scale recycling in the UK is an entirely workable option,
bpi.recycled products continues to invest back into the business to offer its customers in the ware- house and distribution industry new and inno- vative ways to recycle their polythene waste. The latest example of this commitment comes in the form of a new, state-of-the-art scrap washing facility. Offi cially unveiled on 9th March 2012 and estimated to have cost £4.5 million, the new plant has increased the business’ current recycling capacity by an impressive 25,000 tonnes every year. The new wash plant complements bpi. recycled products’ already consider- able infrastructure – which consists of four strategically located recycling facilities stretching from Scotland to the South West.
www.shdlogistics.com
As Sian explains: “At
bpi.recycled prod- ucts, we continue to invest heavily into the very latest technology and equipment to keep pace with the growing demand for UK-based recycling operations. In addi- tion, we’re also committed to offering our customers in the warehouse and distribu- tion sector a closed loop service.” She continues: “To many in the logistics industry, the bpi name will already be a familiar one as our sister business, bpi.minster fi lms (formerly
bpi.stretchfi lms), is a lead- ing manufacturer of transit packaging. This means that, as a group, we’re not only able supply transit packaging to the sector; we’re also able to collect it for recycling once it has reached the end of its useable lifetime. “This material can then be transformed into a wide range of second-life products, including our Green Sack range of 100% recycled refuse sacks, recycled high per- formance building fi lms and our Plaswood range of outdoor and street furniture.” As Sian concludes: “As a business, we have always advocated the need to recycled UK waste at UK facilities. That’s why at bpi. recycled products we continue to draw on our extensive infrastructure and over 30 years of recycling experience to enable businesses to recycle their polythene waste closer to home and in far greener way.” n
www.bpifi
lms.co.uk
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