We believe in a cleaner future

Filter Designs are proud to be supporting a client on a game-changing new system that will have a global impact.

Plastic production continues to grow, and reached an annual high of 359mt in 2018; this rapid growth has completely outstripped the capacity to recycle plastic when it becomes waste. Globally only 12% of plastic waste is currently recycled, the rest is either burnt, buried or lost into the environment. 

And in the UK, of the 2.4mt of plastic packaging waste that arose in 2018, 45% was collected for recycling – while this is better than the global average, with capacity to recycle only 400kt in the UK itself, reliance on landfill, incineration of export of waste remains.

The recycling rates for films, laminates and other flexibles is especially low as these low-value plastics are traditionally difficult or uneconomic to recycle using existing mechanical recycling processing; the latter being well-suited for recycling predominantly plastic bottles and other rigid plastics. Now, new chemical recycling technologies are emerging that break down plastic waste into their chemical building blocks to be used as feedstocks for new polymer production, which are perfect for recycling these erstwhile unrecyclable materials, and which therefore complement existing mechanical recycling.

We’re thrilled to be supporting our client who is at the very forefront of these emerging technologies, and we’re extremely proud of our involvement in something that will make an enormous difference to us all.

Filter Designs / March 2021