REPLAS

Words Heather Armstrong. Pictures by Angela Hayward.

Look around. Plastic is part of our lives – a big part. It is easy to see why: it’s convenient, cheap and durable – too durable as it turns out. Plastic has now become a huge global environmental problem.

Replas is one company working towards a solution.

In 1991, Australian Recycling Technologies (ART) and Repeat Plastics shared a passion for the environment. Dismayed by the amount of household plastic waste going needlessly to landfill, both companies developed the technology to recycle this waste material.

Repeat Plastics specialised in the collection of post-industrial waste while ART concentrated on material collected from the kerbside, receiving the Banksia Award in 1992 – the most prestigious award for environmental excellence in Australia. These two companies joined forces and their shared vision resulted in the formation of Replas Australia. Kelvin Agg, Victoria’s territory manager, sheds some light on this innovative company.

What does Replas do?

Replas’s unique ability to mix different plastic polymers together has resulted in a range of over 200 colourful products. Recycled plastic products are low maintenance and long lasting and are an ethical alternative to the use of traditional materials. They are made from plastic waste that previously would have ended up in landfill. The process is environmentally efficient, only using approximately 25 per cent of the power that it takes to make virgin plastic. Replas does not wash the plastic, so there is no water used, and it only adds colour and UV stabiliser to its products at a rate of roughly 2 per cent. Plastic products that are at the end of their life or damaged can be recycled to make new plastic products. Recycled plastic is resistant to termites, microorganisms and moisture, and will never split, rot, crack or need painting.

Through the REDcycle program, Replas is proud to partner with companies, such as Coles and Woolworths, who have taken responsibility for the plastic waste they generate.

The soft plastic material collected through the program can be recycled by Replas and turned into products designed for outdoor use in the community. Who buys the products?

Mainly councils and local government agencies. The procurement of such products can benefit both their waste management and asset management departments.

Councils can influence how communities can incorporate recycled products into their projects and local infrastructure, but a common challenge is to break down the traditional barriers and look to incorporate more progressive materials and products into their asset procurement. If the demand for recycled plastic products were to cease, the “recycling process” would not be closed off; however, the model would remain lineal, which is a highly unsustainable practice. Without the procurement of recycled products closing the loop within a circular economy, all the plastic waste diverted from local landfill would become someone else’s problem.

What is a circular economy? The traditional linear economy – the make, use and dispose economy or the “throwaway” society – is inefficient and has many negative impacts on the environment. We also live on a planet that has limited resources. The alternative is the circular economy.

Nature recycles everything – nutrients flow from one living organism to another. But a linear economy ignores this law of nature. In a circular economy, the aim is to keep materials from being thrown away. The best way to do that is to reduce consumption or design out waste before it is created. By re-using or recycling products or their component parts, we keep resources in the productive economy. This approach creates a continuous cycle and capitalises on the fact that the longer an item is in use, the more value (and return on investment) that can be extracted from it. The cycle is restorative and regenerative by design.

How can people assist in the circular economy in their dayto-day lives? In relation to plastics, the REDcycle program is a great way to divert soft plastics from landfill by depositing them at your local Woolworths or Coles store – but do this only once the other R’s have been exhausted (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle).

Five top tips for successful recycling 1. Find out which recycled products your council is purchasing to ensure they are progressively moving towards a circular economy. 2. Understand what a “recycled plastic product” represents. Currently, composite (wood plastic composite) products that don’t have the same “environmental” solution are considered recycled plastic even though they contain other materials.

3. Practise the R’s – reduce, re-use, recycle. 4. Be aware of the deteriorated products you see within your community that could be replaced with recycled plastic to ensure a greater than 40-year lifespan that won’t incur additional maintenance costs from your local council. 5. Closing the loop on our recycling (collection and sorting) by purchasing recycled plastic products is a proven way to a sustainable future – treat our waste as a resource and support companies that are providing solutions for the benefit of our environment.

To find out more, visit Replas' website www.replas.com.au.

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