resource recovery
The circular economy of plastic A park bench made from beach clean-up waste — this is one of the results of a technology that was designed for the realisation of the circular economy. The technology effectively recovers resources from low-grade plastics, low-value plastics, plastic film and contaminated plastics that in the past were destined for landfill.
A
significant component of Moama-based inventor Ross Collins’ working life was devoted to
homogenises the blend. In effect, contaminants become fillers in a co-mingled and homogenised plastic matrix.
developing improved systems and techniques
• Heat the input plastic material multiple times — the plastic
for the recycling of both hard and soft plastics.
feed material (including any contaminants) is melted only once
The PolyWaste plastic recycling technology was
prior to being formed into products. This reduces the carbon
his brainchild. He built and commissioned the
footprint significantly relative to the footprint associated with
prototype PolyWaste melter during 2014 and 2015. Sadly, Ross
other recycling technologies. The products produced using the
succumbed to illness in August 2016 but his work will be a long-
technology are claimed to have less than 2% of the carbon emis-
lasting legacy thanks to the team at Newtecpoly Pty Ltd, which is
sions associated with products produced from virgin polymer
now the sole existing licensee of the technology.
and less than 50% of the embodied energy of products resulting
Newtecpoly Technical and Administrative Director Colin Barker
from the application of other recycling technologies.
said the PolyWaste plastic recycling technology isn’t predicated on
“The technology is not only important due to its lower operating
processing ‘waste’ plastic in order to emulate a virgin bead, as
cost and savings in carbon footprint, but also in the realisation of
used in almost all existing plastics
the circular economy due to its
manufacturing processes. Rather,
low capital cost and subsequent
he said the technology eliminates
viability/relevance at a regional
the requirement to:
and local level,” said Barker.
• Segregate different polymers
“These latter considerations are
— as they are equally useful
particularly important for applica-
in the co-mingled state.
tions in small and/or developing
• Shred, wash and dry the
countries/economies.”
input plastic material — the
Newtecpoly has demonstrated
technology can tolerate com-
many applications of the technol-
paratively high levels of con-
ogy. For example, the company
tamination given the unique
produced the planks for a park
mix and melt action distributes
bench-style seat, which was made
contaminants uniformly and
Park bench produced from the beach clean-up waste at Noosa.
50 Sustainability Matters - Jun/Jul 2017
from co-mingled plastic waste
www.SustainabilityMatters.net.au