According to EPA, Americans generate almost 250 million tons of trash annually; 5.5 million tons of plastic film or 36 lbs. per person is being disposed. There approximately 12 billion pounds of plastic film generated annually in North America – 88 percent of which is polyethylene.
Film plastics are used in the agricultural industry to grow crops and to raise farm animals. Plastic films (mostly comprised of low density polyethylene- LDPE) are widely used as mulches, sheeting, drip irrigation tapes, row covers and tunnels for the cultivation of strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, grapes and horticultural plants. Annually, thousands of acres of crops are covered with plastic sheeting and mulches and once used they are discarded often in Land Fills.
While recycling of plastic film is taking place by private sector companies they must establish a recycling infrastructure that allows segregation of clean plastics from dirty plastics. The current recycling infrastructure needs clean waste streams so that these recycled plastics can be converted into plastic pellets or other value added products such as “plastic lumber for hiking trails, decking, and framing materials for homes”. Offering pick up service for spent agricultural and warehouse distribution centre generated plastic film is one thing- but maximizing your profits is another question, as often these recycling companies do not provide cost effective collection systems and all to often the waste generator, mixes the used plastics into a general waste collection bin, rather then separating the plastic waste streams at source.
Recent survey results indicate that only about 36% of farms and warehouse house film plastic wastes are being recycled, hence the majority is still ending up into the landfill. If these waste generators had separated the waste streams, not only they are able to contribute to a better environment, but more importantly their revenue will also increase as clean waste streams have a value of roughly $.20 per pound collected.
Today, synthetic plastic films are used on our farms, warehouses, construction, food processing plants and the majority still ends up into the landfills across North American our landfills. It has been suggested that the real problem is sorting the waste stream, as it is often too expensive to sort waste streams at transfer stations or recycling depots.
Recycling film is desirable, but only if it is presorted manually and or collected at drop off points. For that to take place a cost effective collection system needs to be used by the waste haulers. Here is where the KnapZak system comes into place.
The KnapZak system is a plastic film and/or Styrofoam collection system that consist of a variety of frames and recycled plastic bags which can be installed at warehouses, distribution centres, construction sites, farm and nursery operations, food processing plants, institutional food service operations, electronic recycling centres and institutional warehouse operations that generate large amounts of shrink wrap, styrofoam and film plastic waste streams.
The Knapzak System. Knapzak is a collection system for synthetic packaging such as plastic foil, EPS, plant pots & plant trays and PET bottles. Knapsack (a recycled plastic bag) and Knapholder (tubular steel frame) together make the ideal duo for the adequate collection of these synthetic waste flows. The system has both internal and external benefits owing to its easy removal. Hence, you will make substantial savings on waste costs and take part in optimal recycling.
With Knapsack you will solve the problem of volume with commercial and film plastic and styrofoam wastes. For just about all companies where synthetic packaging materials are generated, Knapsack is a godsend.
The benefits of the Knapzak system are: clean and fast decentralized collection, optimal density of plastic foil in the Knapzak, simple, inexpensive removal of your choice and small investment and low costs.
When contaminated plastic film and compostable products enter the plastic recycling stream, they render clean and viable plastic film loads unusable by plastic reprocessing companies and other international plastics recycling companies. Contaminated products cannot be recycled and are either sent to landfill or incinerated and thus have little or no value. Using the KnapZak system you can create clean waste streams and increase the payback on your corporate recycling efforts, while improving the environment.
OTHER NEWS FROM THE NORTHWEST
DON’T FORGET OUR RECYCLING MISSION TO THE NETHERLANDS – LIMITED SPACE LEFT – OPEN FOR WESTERN CANADIAN COMPANIES – GO TO RECYCLING MISSION IN MENU BAR – ABOVE FOR FURTHER DETAILS
Join us in our Recycling and Waste Processing Mission to the Netherlands – October 3 – 7. See further details at RECYCLING MISSION This mission allows you to see the latest applications and technologies to enhance your recycling and waste processing business.
Shipping plastics overseas for recycling is of dubious value environmentally, and is potentially harmful from a climate change and hazardous-waste perspective (as many developing countries where these plastics are often sent for recycling have little or no environmental regulations). Clearly we must take responsibility and recycle our plastics in clean waste streams to be processes domestically and create jobs at home. The KnapZak system provides a cost effective solution to your waste management needs while creating clean waste streams for local processors and thus employment at home.
Metro Vancouver landfills receives 900 tonnes of plastic-film bags per month. More can and must be done to recycle film plastics. Yes we have retailers such as London Drugs, Safeway and Save-On Foods that have established in store recycling programs, but more must be done by all BC’s warehouse operations. Some municipalities are embracing plastic film recycling including recycling of cling film plastic wrap, plastic poly drop sheets, shrink wrap, plastic bags, drink yokes and bubble wrap. The Capital Regional District is undertaking a pilot project to recycle clean film plastics. And Whistler has extended its film recycling by three months and is also evaluating contamination of plastic recycling. But where are the majority of our institutions, do they have in house recycling systems to create clean waste streams?
BC’s plastic Film and Styrofoam recyclers include: Urban Impact. Pacific Mobile Depots. WCS Recycling, Wastech, Genesis Recycling, Westcoast Plastics, Merlin Plastics and Blue Planet. We are sure that they would like to see clean plastic waste streams to maximize their return on investment and lower your recycling costs. The Knapzak system can be a solution to their operations.
NEWS FROM ONTARIO
“The Province of Ontario contracted the Association of Municipal Recycling Coordinators to determine the operational implications of
film collection and processing. Many of the qualities that make the material so desirable from the product manufacturer’s perspective result in significant challenges once the material are discarded. In a study on Plastic Films , the authors concluded that while plastic film is eminently recyclable, separating the material from other recyclables remains a challenge.
This report reviews current municipal recycling programs and explores the opportunities to improve and expand the existing system’s ability to manage film. While collection of film at the curb is relatively straightforward, there are many challenges in handling the material in
MRFs. And, according to figures produced by Stewardship Ontario for the purposes of setting stewards’ fees this year, the average gross cost of managing plastic film in the blue box system is more than $1,600 per
tonne”.
Our response: the KnapZak system provides a cost effective solution for film and Styrofoam recycling and we invite the Ontario Municipalities and Recycling Industry to consider the KnapZak system as one of the solutions to their waste management challenges..
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