Closed-Loop Recycling: How to Implement in Business

With many businesses rushing to consider their environmental impact, closed-loop cling should be a process high up on the agenda

This is defined as the process by which a product is used, recycled, and then made into a new product if it can’t be reused in the first instance The process results in no waste going for energ y recover y or landfill

This is crucial in light of tighter government legislation such as the plastic packaging tax introduced last April and the impending single-use plastic ban in October 2023

With this in mind we share our tips on how you can bring your organisation’s processes full circle

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES?

Embracing closed-loop methods offer significant benefits, including:

• Decreased air pollution by producing little to no greenhouse gas emissions in the creation of new plastics from oil extraction

• Reduced landfill space and landfill taxes for bus nesses

• Minimised r isk of harm to wildlife

• Oppor tunities to market your sustainable solutions to enhance customer sat sfact on among those who prefer to buy sustainably

We provide some examples of success stories from different sectors:

RETAIL

Packaging can also be a chief concern for retailers 40% of UK online shoppers, for instance , feel they are sent deliveries with packaging that is too big for what they ordered One of the best ways to limit extraneous packaging is to employ a closed-loop solution This could include recycling old or broken materials or reusing packaging which would ordinarily be disposed as single use

MANUFACTURING

By Nathan Gray, Head of Sustainability at Reconomy (www.reconomy.com)

Cl d loop recycling is a par ticularly effective system in manufacturing Par tnering with a management ser vice can give better guidance on waste segregation at project pots to achieve zero waste

Problematic and difficult-to-process waste streams may include silicon PVC banners and fibre-based and laminated packaging However with the right guidance even these difficult plastic waste materials can be recycled back into other products

Hospitality

Food waste is par ticularly problematic as it can contaminate many other forms of waste which significantly reduces recycling oppor tunities When food waste ends up in a landfill, it decomposes without oxygen which releases methane The preferred solution is preventing food waste in the first instance , however, anaerobic digestion is the preferred solution for food waste This effectively transforms food waste into green electricity as well as producing an effective fer tiliser to help row fresh fruit and vegetables in line with circular principles