Household Waste Can Be Recycled So That New Products Can Be Created
Did you know you can recycle household waste without separating it first? To put it another way, a brand-new product made of waste can be re-born and used later as a filler. This revolutionary approach opens the door to new solutions not only in waste management but also in the plastics machinery industry.
In the run-up to K 2022, the world’s leading trade fair for the plastics industry (and, like drupa, is organised by Messe Düsseldorf), VDMA invites representatives from the mechanical and plant engineering sector to share their expertise through weekly interviews. In this Way2K edition interview, the head of sales at AZO GmbH & Co. KG Thomas Stegmeier sheds light on trends regarding climate protection and measures that contribute to a circular economy. On a side note, these aspects are also accounted to be the key topics at the upcoming K as well as drupa 2024.
How Does AZO Deal With The Switch To Recyclates?
In the shift towards a circular economy, the latest European policy has implemented the switch to recyclates in plastic products. AZO, widely known for its automated handling system of raw materials, can give a hand to the machine and plant manufacturers during the transition to the increased use of recycled materials:
“Grinding stock and recyclates create new challenges in the area of material handling and we, as experts, havesolutions at hand.“
During recycling, the properties of the grinding stocks vary since they are affected by many factors, for instance, shredding, particle size and shape. To solve this problem, the handling system company has developed special systems that can discharge the ground materials reliably. So as to prevent some substances, such as chalk or glass dust not wearing off the surfaces of the systems, AZO’s special wear-resistant protection enables the systems to operate longer.
Recycled Household Waste: a Win-Win Scenario Towards a Circular Economy
Based on a recent survey, the volume of household waste rose by 4% in the Covid year 2020. With reference to it, 476 kilograms of waste was collected from each person in Germany. On the bright side, there is a way to recycle household waste without separating any components at all. In general, household waste consists of plastic residues, cardboard, paper and biowaste. Mr. Stegmeier draws nearer to the project that is still at its infancy:
“There is a process on the market that brings all these materials together and creates a completely new product from them. This can then be used as fillerin other applications.“
The pros of this process are like killing two birds with one stone: Firstly, the stored organic waste produces greenhouse gas methane. By recycling it, no incineration is required. Secondly, since no additional emissions are produced, the CO2 footprint will be reduced significantly as a result.
What is your take on this impressive innovation that might be incorporated sooner or later in the machinery industry? Let us know below in the comment section.
