MILAN – Very often, there is some confusion over what can be recycled and how to do it best. There are plastic bottles, plastic tops and trays, as well as plastic film, and so on; these not only have to be washed, but also need to be sorted into the right categories. To avoid having to throw everything which cannot be recycled into landfill, a British factory has invented the first machine to enable the recycling of plastic of all types, even if soiled.
The invention
As the Economist describes, the company which has invented this machine is called 2K Manufacturing and it has introduced this new technology into its plant in Luton. Basically. the machine is capable of transforming “waste from waste” by combining plastic in an ecological substitute for plywood, called EcoSheet. This new material, which can in turn also be recycled, is being used experimentally by a construction company which supports the project and is involved in the production of various items, from billboards to flooring.
Evaluation of the project
During the first phase, the Luton factory will be capable of producing 360,000 sheets of material per year. The founders hope to double this capacity with a second production line, enabling them to then open a further ten plants in Britain over the next few years. The United Kingdom itself uses around 5 million tonnes of plastic per year, but only a fifth of this is recycled or recovered. Through this project, it is hoped this trend will be reversed.
