FEATURED TOPIC – PLASTICS RECYCLING
The complete package THINKPAC IS PROVIDING A CIRCULAR SOLUTION FOR SOFT PLASTICS – FROM RECYCLING THROUGH TO MANUFACTURING OF A NEW END PRODUCT – UNDER ONE ROOF.
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hinkpac offers a unique opportunity as Australia aims to reach National Packaging Targets by 2025. The packaging company has been manufacturing soft plastic products since 1988 and began its own recycling arm in 2011. Now it’s looking to upscale and build a circular economy with industry players. The aim is to repurpose soft plastic ‘waste’ into packaging for the same supply chain, diverting them from landfill in the process. Calvin Ng, Thinkpac Managing Director says it’s the “business model of the future”. “We’re not just recyclers,” he says. “We go beyond recycling and provide a fully integrated circular packing solution. We do this by collaborating with waste management companies to convert soft plastic ‘waste’ and repurposing them into end user products, all within the same supply chain. “This process encompasses the true essence of a circular economy. It’s really unheard of in Australia so far.” “Our current recycling facility has the capacity to process more than 1500 tonnes per month of lowdensity polyethylene (LDPE). Soft plastics are washed, processed into pellets and then sent through the manufacturing plant.
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Calvin Ng, Thinkpac Managing Director.
“Many of the end products are supplied into the Australian market.” Second-generation business owner Calvin established a sales and warehousing operation in Melbourne to foster a better understanding of the local market and build deeper relationships with industry stakeholders. He also plans to build a local recycling and processing plant using Thinkpac’s circular business model in Australia. Calvin says having a vertically integrated recycling-manufacturing
process “under the one roof ” results in a cleaner stream of recycled material and assures the quality of end products. “We provide scalability and predictability to waste collectors. It’s a win-win-win for the end user of soft plastic, for waste management and the environment,” he says. “This is a huge opportunity for Australia to bridge the gap between its low recycling rates and decrease the number of recyclable plastics that would otherwise end up in landfill.”
