- Posted by: Than Hansen
- Category: Recycling
Closing the Loop on Plastic Bottle Recycling
For those of us frustrated by the lack of effective plastic recycling (and the notion of sending our waste overseas for someone else to worry about), we should turn our attention to a solution emanating from the U.K. With the opening in June of their new recycling plant in Essex, England, Closed Loop Recycling has developed a method of capturing, processing and reconstituting otherwise landfill-bound plastic (PET and HDPE) bottles into food-grade material (”flake”), to be resold to manufacturers. This is no small feat, given the lack of infrastructure and capacity many countries have, for capturing a high enough volume of waste before it gets lost to a landfill, not to mention the remaining lack of consciousness of the need for recycling in the first place. As if this weren’t enough, Closed Loop Recycling also advises companies, organizations and municipalities on how best to utilize recyclable content within packaging products for future ease-of reuse, and offers services by which to educate people on the benefits of applying closed loop methodologies, from proper collection of waste to eventual reconstitution.
(All images courtesy of Closed Loop Recycling)
It seems that Closed Loop Recycling has come up with a viable closed loop system, so hopefully their example will make waves and spread its way around the world, and particularly to the U.S., a major consumer of bottled water. Already, a number of U.S. cities have taken on the challenge of reducing and eliminating plastic water bottles, and although some consumers may be complaining, they will probably soon come to see that such efforts are only for their benefit. As success from Closed Loop Recycling’s experiences become known in coming months, more companies will surely follow suit and start their own closed loop plants, including in the U.S.
For more on the topic of plastic bottles and waste, please visit the following links -
Closed Loop Recycling’s site pages on Technology and Case Studies
NRDC’s On Earth article Global plastic pollution: the scale of the problem
NRDC Bottled Water. Pure Drink or Pure Hype?
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Melissa Plastic Dreams of Sustainability
on January 18th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Plastic bottles are a growing problem in our landfills and oceans. We felt that something needed to be done……and now.
We knew that there wasn’t going to be one “fix it all” answer and began to wonder if anything was ever going to be done. The problem was growing every day, more bottles were being manufactured and more bottles were accumulating in places where we didn’t need them.
We were wondering if “Earth Friendly Bottles” would ever be available?
That’s why we decided to do our part and started ENSO Bottles. We are partnering with other companies to offer a PET plastic bottle that will biodegrade, compost or recycle.
Our bottles can be produced in a clear or colored version, however, the clear version isn’t quite as clear as current PET plastic bottles but then again that’s one way to identify our earth friendly bottle.
ENSO is trying to achieve sustainability with our plastic bottles. Our goal is to make bottles that won’t have the adverse impact on our environment and are made from non food bio-fuels.
We haven’t started making them from bio-fuel but that’s high on our agenda and hopefully will be something we can offer in the future.
But for now, we offer a plastic bottle that is earth friendly…it’s just one step but if we all take just one step toward improving our planet….we will make a difference.
Now all we need is for a lot of beverage companies to start using earth friendly plastic bottles.
Max