THE NEXTGEN ARE PASSIONATE FOR PP5 RECYCLING

By Elliott Akintola

On Thursday 30th June 2022, the next generation of horticulture professionals gathered to tour Garden City Plastics (GCP) manufacturing facility, and Polymer Processors recycling facility. Nearly 40 members of the NextGen association from leading horticultural businesses in Victoria attended the event which kicked off at the GCP facility in Dandenong South, Victoria.

GCP’s Victorian Sales and Marketing Manager, Greg Carrick, started the event by delivering a presentation to the group on the need to close the loop on plastic recycling in the horticultural industry. He outlined GCP, Norwood, and Polymer Processors, collaboration to ensure that all polypropylene pots, containers, trays, and labels marked with the recycling number ‘5’ are collected within a single stream for recycling and manufacturing into new products for the industry. He highlighted that polypropylene (pp5) is a versatile material with good chemical properties that makes it very sustainable for the industry. GCP has been using recycled materials in its production facility since inception over 4 decades ago, all black containers produced for the industry include recycled materials.

Another important message was the distinctions that exist with other types of plastics used in the industry. An understanding of these differences is necessary to ensure that there is no contamination of the recycling stream. For instance, plug trays and some punnets are made from Polystyrene (PS6) which is a different material and should not be collected in the same stream with Polypropylene (PP5) material. In the future, businesses will need to take more responsibility of their waste and the overall impact of their systems on the environment. It is crucial that we individually and collectively play our role in ensuring that we save as many plastics going out into the stream. Through, the GCP, Norwood, and Polymer Processors PP5 initiative, recycling cages have been made available at different retail and commercial nursery sites. Once the business meets the criteria for having a bin, they are expected to implement the 3-step process of:

» Check – that the material is pp5

» Tap – media or substrate out of the container

» Stack – the containers with or without their labels, to maximise the bin volume

These steps are critical to ensure that customers can return used pots for recycling and not to kerb side recycling streams where they are lost to landfill. The collection bins are delivered free of charge to the retail and commercial collection locations

and are also picked up by the GCP trucks for free. They’re then taken to the recycler, Polymer Processors, to clean and remake into raw materials for GCP to manufacture new containers for the industry.

After the information session, the group proceeded to tour the GCP production plant with a front row view of the machines in action, producing new products for the industry. It was the first time many of the attendees had witnessed the capabilities that exist within an Australian family owned and operated business. A sneak peek was also provided into the print room and warehousing facility before the group proceeded on to Polymer Processors.

On arrival at Polymer Processors, the group were fortunate to witness a GCP truck offloading the recycling cages. The group was received by John Wilson, Operations Manager at Polymer Processors, who explained that the collected material will first go through a state-of-the-art wash plant designed to simultaneously crush the material, remove soil, substrates and separate the materials using a unique flotation technique. He explained that different materials will float, or sink based on their densities. After the stage of washing and separation, the materials then go through an extruder which converts them into the pellets needed by the GCP machines to make new pots.

A major takeaway from the visit to the Polymer Processors recycling plant was that many materials can be recycled and made into raw materials for new products, however, it is a volume game. Should opportunities arise where other plastic waste materials can be collected cost effectively and in large volumes, there is capacity to recycle them.

Through the PP5 recycling program, supply of raw materials is assured within the industry whilst avoiding losses to landfill or other plastic production industries. Both GCP and Polymer Processors are making huge investments in their manufacturing facilities to meet the growing demand of the industry. There are also strong indications that the partnership is already looking to commence a PS6 recycling scheme in a similar model as the PP5. Norwood are the key drivers of the marketing initiatives for the program and have been committed for over 20 years in using the PP5 material to manufacture pot labels. More information on the initiative is available at www.pp5.com.au

The objective of the NextGen event was to provide the young professionals a 360-degree insight into how the small contribution of checking, tapping, and stacking of collected materials, ensures that the process continues to be free to the businesses, cost-effective for collection, and assure raw material availability for the industry whilst being kinder to the environment. Indeed, the success of the program depends on our collective effort and passion for sustainability.

The NextGen would like to thank the leadership of the NGIV for their support, as well as all production nurseries and businesses who sponsored their staff to attend the event. Many thanks also to the management teams at GCP and Polymer Processors for opening their doors and taking the time to provide insights whilst safely conducting the tour of the facility.