UNTHA UK’s sales manager Gary Moore headed to Solihull earlier this month for the MRF and Markets Conference 2018. He was one of hundreds of waste and recycling professionals from throughout the industry to descend on the National Motorcycle Museum for the LetsRecycle event. And the day-long gathering covered a wealth of knowledge-based topics, each designed to promote debate and sharper thinking when it comes to material quality, MRF technologies and the evolution of policy.
But if he was asked to pinpoint a key discussion theme from the day, what would Gary home in on?
“I think one of my main observations from the day was the OCC grade transition from a 90/10 specification to a 95/5 minimum of predominantly brown cardboard with no grey. China’s National Sword campaign of 2017 and Blue Sky 2018 movement, are undoubtedly the primary drivers for this contamination clampdown. But, ultimately, we should be pleased that recyclate quality is coming to the fore, even if under duress for some.
“What is important though, is that when addressing industry pressures, we continue to think about the waste hierarchy. Of course, greater efforts are required to prevent the creation of waste at source and, in truth, we may never nail this objective as a nation. But, in the absence of waste reduction progress – certainly at the level we all desire – we need to then prioritise the best possible utilisation of materials so that the resource value does not become lost.
“I suppose one of my key concerns is that there appears to be no market at all for streams like LDPE films, with a 90/10 or 80/20 grade. So, whilst we must of course focus on the higher quality specs moving forwards, we also need to think about what we do with the material that does not meet more stringent recycling criteria.
“Is there an option to convert the LDPE into a 30mm fraction for SRF blending for example? Energy recovery shouldn’t be the principal focus but if other avenues are exhausted, an environmentally sound ‘plan B’ is definitely required.”
Other key themes from the day included the Materials Recovery Code, supply chain engagement, collection models, the use of data to drive industry improvements, the role of deposit return schemes and equipment efficiencies.
To speak to Gary about any of the topics highlighted here, please call 0845 450 5388 or drop him an email.
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