> The aim of professional recycling is to improve the way we deal with waste by maximizing reuse. Generally speaking, waste prevention begins as soon as we start thinking about the production of goods (anything that’s produced has a production method which is designed to conserve resources, etc.). However, if a product has already been produced and has now reached the end of its life cycle, there’s no avoiding the fact that we now have on our hands something that we deem to be waste.
This is precisely where professional recycling comes in and attempts to bring this waste back into the value chain, so that as few natural resources as possible are needed to manufacture a new product. Straightforward examples include: “waste paper” -> “recycled paper” | “plastic -> “recycled plastic” ). According to this concept, the recycling process should be carried out as mindfully as possible (e.g. by optimizing transport routes, professional treatment and additional steps).
Here at SKG, our primary concern lies with catching the waste stream resulting from the manufacturing industry (as a by-product of the production process itself – click here to read a few examples).
From there, we collect plastic residues that are left over as production waste and pass them on for appropriate processing. As part of this process, any contaminants are removed and the plastic parts are cleaned and sorted for further processing. Once the necessary sorting/processing is complete, the collected plastics are now broken down into tiny pieces (“granulated”). The result is what’s known as granulate.
The next and final stage for us is to turn the granulate into regranulate or regenerate, and then finally into recyclate.
In order to meet our clients’ requirements, the high-quality and segregated granulate has to undergo a remelting process. In this molten state, it can be combined with different additives as required, such as fillers or masterbatch. The resulting material is what is known as regenerate. If the remelting process is carried out without additives, the resulting material is called regranulate.
Either way, the end product is always a recyclate – in other words, a processable plastic with a defined set of properties. As a finished end product, it can now be supplied to the manufacturing industry again, thus closing the cycle.
If you would like to read more short definitions on the subject of recycling, you can find a brief summary of key terms at the bottom of this page.
Motivations
- Using resources efficiently and therefore protecting the environment
- Saving money and making good use of recyclable materials
- Taking personal responsibility – for the benefit of everyone!
Stages
- Collecting
- Sorting
- Crushing
- Processing into new raw material
Carefully considered recycling can help companies to cut down on resources – protecting the environment and their budget. Give us a call, we would be happy to advise you!
Mini Glossary
BRIEF DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED
> Regenerate is produced via a melting process (compounding), during which additives are added to improve the properties of the resulting material. Regenerate consists of granules of equal size and shape, does not contain dust and, where necessary, has defined property values.
Other important terms in the field of recycling relate to the purity and tolerance of the output materials: