POST-INDUSTRIAL RECYCLING | TECHNOLOGY


Post-industrial recycling: growth opportunities


The impact of recycling production waste is being felt everywhere, from compounding and film extrusion to injection moulding, stock shapes and even PEX pipes. By Chris Saunders


The latest developments in post-industrial recycling (PIR) represent large steps towards a more sustain- able and circular approach to plastic waste manage- ment. From technological innovations that improve recycling efficiency and make it possible to process a wider range of materials, to collaborative initiatives that foster systemic change, there is growing momentum in the plastic recycling industry’s efforts to maximise the potential of PIR. Allied to this, companies are increasingly investing in infrastruc- ture that facilitates closed-loop systems to reduce their reliance on virgin plastics and minimise waste generation, boosting profits in the process. Sirmax is a PP compounder that makes exten- sive use of PIR and also post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials in its operations. At NPE 2024, the


www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com


Italian company – which serves customers in the automotive, appliance, furniture, electrical/ electronics, and building and construction indus- tries – highlighted the successful integration of its US recycling and PP compounding facilities. The operation in Anderson, Indiana, runs two recycling lines with combined capacity of 18,000 tonnes/yr of recycled PP derived from PIR and PCR waste streams, with around 90% making up the former. The PIR material in question comes from a range of sources including flexible and rigid packaging. When asked why Sirmax is favouring PIR at its US


recycling plant as opposed to the PCR more common at its European facilities, Lorenzo Ferro, US country manager for Sirmax Group, said: “It is down to availability and quality. In the US around


May/June 2024 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 13


Main image: Process waste is increasingly being used again in production of plastic parts


IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK/AULIA1


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