Onyx Ireland leads the way
“We are pleased to be leading the waste management industry” says Hugues Barthélémy, Southern Region Manager, Onyx Ireland. “This scheme is generating a substantial income from a waste stream that previously went to landfill.” With around 70 tonnes a month of used EPS and EPE (expanded polyethylene) being generated by DELL computers, Onyx’s first step was to purchase a PolyCycle™D300 plastics densifier from Stafford based Next-Tec, an Associate Member of the British Plastic Federation’s EPS Packaging Group. “Our machine enables Onyx to reduce the volume of all three of the plastics by around 90 percent, making it economical to transport EPS to the Wales Environment Trust in South Wales for recycling,” explains Mark Smith, Sales and Marketing Director, Next-Tec. The PolyCycle™ D300 was installed at Onyx in Limerick in June 2005 and has been running constantly over two shifts processing EPS ever since. The Wales Environment Trust reprocesses the compressed EPS into a bead that can be used in a variety of new applications including picture frames, coat hangers and disposable cameras. “The partnership forged between ourselves, Next-tec, Onyx and DELL is paying fruitful dividends all round,” says Dr Keith Parry, Chief Executive of the Wales Environment Trust. The EPS Packaging Group warmly welcomes the scheme. “DELL Computers and Onyx Ireland are setting a great example with this trailblazing project,” says Damien Packer, Environmental Executive, EPS Packaging Group. “We hope to see other waste management organisations forging similar partnerships to increase the recycling of used EPS packaging. Such schemes can provide a good income and reduce the pressure on landfill. “They also make good use of EPS packaging, a valuable resource that should not be thrown away into landfill when there are recyclers in the UK who require the material for recycling into new products.”
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Onyx Ireland has become the first waste management company in Ireland, or the UK, to set up an EPS (expanded polystyrene) recycling line. DELL computers in Limerick spearheaded this groundbreaking initiative by making materials recycling a requirement of their new waste management contract when it went out to tender.
