WASTE RECYCLING


Andusia and Mick George contract will alleviate 20,000 tonnes of RDF waste from UK landfi ll


ANDUSIA Recovered Fuels is pleased to announce it has recently signed a new contract with RDF producer Mick George Ltd to supply RDF waste material to EfW plants in Europe. Mick George is one of the UKs leading suppliers of cost-eff ective waste management solutions to the commercial, trade and residential markets, with landfi ll sites, waste transfer stations and quarries across the country. Andusia and Mick George’s partnership will see 20,000 tonnes of RDF waste materials annually being sent to plants in the Netherlands and Norway to create energy. Neil Johnson, Technical Director at Mick George, said: ‘’As a business we are continually investing in sustainable mechanisms to achieve greater levels of landfi ll diversion. “The partnership that we have formed with Andusia certainly aligns with that target and is another example of the forward strides the business is making in the waste management sector.” The RDF waste will be recovered and used to create energy and electricity, therefore avoiding UK landfi ll. The contract itself is


for 20,000 tonnes annually being sent to plants in the Netherlands and Norway.


Mark Terrell, Director at Andusia, said: “We are very excited to be joining forces with Mick George, and


we are always looking for reliable and dependable waste suppliers, and this is exactly what we have found.”


After its establishment in 2012 when the RDF export market was in its infancy,


Andusia Recovered Fuels Limited has since become one of the UK’s largest independent exporters. It now off ers a full and fl exible supply chain solution for collecting and delivering RDF from UK producers (independent management- owned waste businesses) to the energy- from-waste plants in Europe. In 2018, Andusia collected its one millionth tonne of RDF waste, which was sent to Europe for recovery.


Virgin plastic taxes could increase recyclates demand


CHANGING business models for plastic recycling could lead to more profi table businesses, higher grade material on the market and increase investment viability in the recycling infrastructure. These views come from resource recovery specialists Axion, which predict that shifting away from the ‘traditional’ recycling business model can open up market opportunities for ‘lower quality’ recyclate. According to Richard McKinlay, Axion’s Head of Circular Economy, these new recyclate markets include that of fl exible plastics. He said: “Business models for recycling are changing, and in a benefi cial way. The sector is shifting away from the ‘old style’ recycling model of ‘buy waste, process it, sell fl ake/commodity compound.” Richard identifi ed shifts towards various distinct operational models. Some companies are controlling the waste, using it as infeed and producing recyclates. Axion Polymers’ extraction and processing of plastics does just that through processing end-of-life vehicles at its Manchester-based SWAPP facility. Another operational model involves becoming an ‘end user’ that buys in waste before converting it into a secondary raw material, used in their own products.


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In an ideal world, Richard argues companies would collect plastic waste directly from households, process it and use the recyclate in new products. Although fl uctuations with infeed or output prices cause diffi culties for recyclers, Richard does see progression with some current trends, specifi cally, the investment or takeovers of recycling businesses by large petrochemical fi rms.


existing customer base, alongside valuable polymer science knowledge and R&D capabilities. All this


He added: “This is positive news as they bring stable fi nancial backing to an


can aid growth and further development in


recycling capability.”


Targeting higher value markets is another trend that is benefi ting the recycling sector. Rather than selling HDPE for piping, fi rms are improving the quality and selling it for more demanding applications, such as packaging. Richard reckons this gap in supply of lower- grade recyclate could be fi lled by fl exible


packaging recycling. “With a proposed tax on packaging with less than 30% recycled content, there will be a significant increase in demand for quality material, potentially giving recycled compounds a higher market price than virgin. This should shift recyclate from packaging up the quality ladder, moving it away from applications such as pipes and transport and logistic packaging,” Richard added. “This movement of recyclate could then open a gap in the market from ‘lower grade’ recycled polymers, such as that produced from flexible packaging.


“With competition from higher grade HDPE and PP removed, compounds from flexibles could be supplied into these markets, improving the economic argument for recycling flexibles.”


This trend is likely to be stimulated by brand managers needing to incorporate more recycled content for marketing purposes. To conclude, Richard believes a shift in the nature of recycling business models could herald a new era in the applications of recyclable materials – which in turn can help businesses thrive.


SHWM December, 2018 41


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