Fishgate Recycles EPS Fish Boxes Fishgate, the state-of-the-art fish market in Kingston-upon-Hull has set up a scheme to recycle the fish boxes that pass through the port. Fishgate is the first fish market in the UK to provide this service.
“We began by compacting the EPS, but we quickly found the machine we had was not efficient enough to make an EPS block that was economically viable for transportation and sale to a recycler.” The management team at Fishgate was determined to find a positive environmental solution to the waste issue and, after much form filling, succeeded in securing an European Union FIFG grant for fishing industry projects through DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs). The new equipment will be able to handle the required amounts of EPS and compact it to the desired density level. Fishgate was awarded the grant because it is a non-profiting making venture and, by recycling fishing industry waste, it is providing a community service. “We feel this is a service that we should provide and we couldn’t have done it without the grant, so we are very grateful” says Bergmundsson. “The machine will be used to compact fish boxes left in Fishgate after auctions and we have set up a system where local processors can deliver their used boxes to us any time of the working day. This keeps their premises clear of waste and gives them room to work.” The processors will be charged a small amount for each box — the cost is set at a rate that is cost effective for them and encourages them to recycle rather than landfill their fish boxes. Once the fish boxes have been compacted, Fishgate will store the material until it has a large enough load to be collected by a recycler. Then, the compacted EPS will be sold to a recycler for a fixed sum per tonne. “We don’t expect to make a profit, but we do hope to make the scheme economically viable — that is the only way to ensure that it is sustainable in the long-term,” concludes Bergmundsson.
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Fishgate Recycles EPS Fish Boxes Recycling EPS Scottish Fish Boxes Collected for Recycling UK recycling Technology is exported to the U.S.
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Large volumes of fish come into the area in EPS boxes: “It was beginning to create a waste problem so we started looking for a solution,” explains Kristjón Bergmundsson, Chief Executive of Fishgate.
