The aim of our ‘Collect & Recycle’ Scheme project
To eventually collect all waste self-adhesive products and get them recycled into new materials.
Scope will include customers who get van deliveries and we are calling on them to deliver regular orders.
Currently the scheme is limited to most customers in the South and Midlands.
We aim to make this process easy and cost neutral for us and our customers.
Liner
Both kraft and PE coated siliconised liners can now be collected from customers and recycled overseas into new paper products.
There are no domestic paper recyclers currently interested in siliconised papers.
The release liners can be plain or backprinted.
The customer will need to strip the papers of all films, then bag for us to collect when delivering new product.
Contamination of the siliconised release liners with adhesive coated PVC, PP, PET etc. will jeopardise our relationships with the recycling companies.
We will not only collect our liners but other manufacturers kraft and PE backing papers, all with film removed.
Packaging materials
All cardboard boxes and most cores can now be collected and recycled in the UK into new packaging.
Cardboard must be kept dry as wet cardboard is problematic to recycle with our partners.
Over half of the cardboard collected is used to make new cardboard boxes, and additional cardboard can be downcycled into paperboard or chipboard.
Recycling paper mills can recycle a single cardboard fibre roughly seven times.
Making 1 tonne of virgin cardboard requires 3 tonnes of trees.
Recycling 1 tonne of cardboard eliminates 9 cubic yards of landfill space.
Where possible we will reuse boxes rather than recycling them.
Plastic core/end plugs
These are the core plugs that fit inside the box, and slot into the core to keep the material suspended in transit.
These are made from a variety of plastics in different shapes and sizes.
We can collect these and recycle them into new plugs.
Adhesive coated PVC films no longer on a liner
The practical recycling of these are still being explored.
We need to be assured that this can be done safely and economically without excessive use of solvents and energy before offering a recycling service for the adhesive films.
We are currently exploring both a recycling and a reuse option and hopefully at least one of these will become live in 2024.
What do customers have to do?
All they need to do is remove all films from the release liner and store the release paper in the bulk bags we will provide.
The cardboard boxes need to be flattened and stored in a dry condition.
The cores need to be stored in a dry condition.
Collection
When we deliver new goods, our vans will then collect the full bulk bags filled with siliconised release liner.
The drivers will replace the full bag taken with an empty bag.
The flattened boxes, cores and end plugs will be handled manually to the van.
What do we do with the waste products?
We will sort the paper from the boxes, cores and end plugs in our Slough facility.
The paper and cardboard will be baled separately here into 1 tonne bales and sent to the various recycling plants in full 10 tonne loads.
The cardboard will be baled and sent for recycling as locally as possible.
The plastic core plugs will be sorted and sent for recycling as locally as possible.
What we don’t want to do?
We don’t want to make collections unless we are delivering fresh product.
We are not a waste company so the waste we collect needs to be pre-sorted and kept in good condition.
We cannot collect and recycle thick walled cores as used on superwide fabrics and banner materials.
The maximum length of core we can recycle is 1600mm.
We are not set up to take any other waste, apart from products similar to those we supply.
No domestic waste, plastic sheet offcuts, office paper.
Become a waste disposal company for the whole industry.
While we are happy to take back other manufacturers’ similar waste, it has to be lesser in volume than the amount we supply and in proportion to new product we are delivering.