/Innova Recycling Centre
Fortunately, the UK government has committed to an ambitious 65% municipal recycling rate by 2035, adopting a large part of the European Union’s Circular Economy Package (CEP) into UK law. The initiative also seeks to ensure that no more than 10% of municipal waste ends up in landfills.
To achieve these recycling targets, both households and commercial organisations will have to do their part by accurately segregating their waste. For businesses, sorting the trade waste they produce is a critical component of an effective reuse and recycling system.
UK law also requires businesses to be responsible for their trade waste by properly storing and sorting it. More specifically, businesses are expected to do the following:
Keep waste in a secure area.
- Store trade waste in containers that will prevent waste from escaping.
- Label waste containers clearly to indicate the type of waste they contain.
- Use waterproof containers if rain can cause waste to leak contaminated run-off.
Covid 19
The spike in ‘single-use’ plastics due to the pandemic has forced us to rethink our attitude to recycling and find a sustainable solution for this kind of waste, which would otherwise end up in landfill.
Single-use PPE masks and gloves are considered “non-recyclable” types of waste in the traditional recycling systems.
Innova provides a recycling solution for all types of single-use PPE, which aren’t recyclable through conventional recycling facilities, for organisations that are looking to offset their impacts and lighten their environmental footprint.
Innova are on the CCS RM6282 Framework
The Innova process works as follows:
1. Collection
The PPE (such as disposable face masks, visors, disposable gloves, ear plugs, beard snoods, hair nets, safety glasses or disposable garments etc.) are collected via our logistics arm.
Please note: In accordance with legal guidelines, we cannot accept medical waste, such as material contaminated with blood or bodily fluids or wastes from healthcare facilities, hospitals, home care, doctors’ offices, dental offices, blood banks, veterinary clinics, research laboratories, etc.
2. Check in
When the shipment arrives at a dedicated Recycling Centre Facility, it is checked in and weighed.
Our team then visually inspects the waste for visible contamination and consolidates it into a bulk format to be transported for processing at our various third-party facilities that specialise in processing the waste into recycled materials.
3. Recycling
Innova stores and aggregates the collected PPE waste until the necessary volumes for processing have been achieved. The waste is then sorted into categories based on material composition (rubbers, metals, non-woven plastic, elastane, etc.) by utilising a wide array of sorting technologies including manual sortation, size separation, etc.
The different material types are then sent to third-party processing partners that recycle the materials into usable forms (i.e., non-woven plastics are recycled into plastic pellets and granules.)
The metals are manually removed and sent locally for smelting into new bar stock and metal sheeting.
The polypropylene-dominant mixture from the face mask is densified into a crumb-like raw material, and the elastane or rubber band portion is ground into a fine mesh regrind and mixed with recycled plastics. The gloves are processed into a rubberized powder.
Recycling Certificates
Innova customers can request a Certificate of Destruction (or Recycling Certificates) which detail information like weight and type of material received, as well as certify that the material was properly recycled in accordance with the legislation.
If you wish to receive a recycling certificate, please send an email to enquiries@innova.uk.com.
Work with a Waste Management Specialist to Analyse Your Waste Streams
Proper waste segregation plays a vital role in any business’s ability to improve its recycling rate and achieve its zero to landfill goals. At Innova, our bespoke waste stream services map out your organisation’s disposal, storage and recycling needs to come up with the best and most efficient waste management solution.