Speaking to letsrecycle.com last week, Axion Polymers, part of Axion Recycling, said it had finished commissioning its 14,000 tonne-a-year capacity facility on Langley Road South, ready for the regulations come into full effect on July 1 (see letsrecycle.com story).
 Recycled plastic being extruded at the new Axion Polymer facility in Salford |
The facility is one of the only in the UK which can recycle plastics from waste electronics, after initial re-processing has taken place.
Keith Freegard, Axion's technical director, said: “We were commissioning throughout March and April but this is our first month of production.”
He explained: “Now the plant is fully operational we are focusing on the two separate streams of WEEE plastic that are available in large tonnages – shredded material from refrigeration equipment and plastics from computer casings.”
Axion now expects volumes to build quickly once the WEEE Directive comes into force, especially given its ability to handle co-mingled waste streams from UK primary processors which would otherwise have been exported to countries like China, Mr Freeguard added.
Plant
At the 40,000 square foot plant, shredded WEEE plastic waste from primary reprocessors is treated to remove metal and dust contamination. It is then sorted into different polymer types to primarily sort out polystyrene using bespoke Axion technology.
The sorted polymers are then melted down into a polymer resin, which are sold to make new products, such as the cores of till rolls.
Axion is also looking at using the plastic in components for new waste electronics by talking to electronic manufacturers and working on a project with the Waste and Resources Action Programme.
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Mr Freeguard said: “We are doing a project with WRAP and some major electronic manufacturers to demonstrate that it is possible to do closed loop recycling. We have got several projects at the embryonic stage where people want to use recycled plastics and we are investigating what components can be moulded with recycled material.”
He added: “This provides triple benefits for the manufacturer by reducing raw material costs, cutting emissions, and boosting their green credentials. Given the impending WEE Directive legislation ,what better way to get some payback for footing the bill for waste that by re-using recyclate in new products.”
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