More good news this week as recycling company Recycling Technologies Ltd has announced a partnership with Swindon Borough Council and a power and waste management specialist to investigate the feasibility of opening a new recycling facility capable of recycling ‘virtually all’ plastics in Swindon.

If it goes ahead, the new facility – known as an advanced Plastics Recycling Facility (aPRF) - would be the first of its kind in England, and would host Recycling Technologies’ patented plastics recycling machine, the RT7000.

Capable of recycling plastics previously thought unrecyclable, such as plastic film, laminated food pouches and crisp packets, the RT7000 works by heating plastic waste until it breaks down into oil. The oil is then used to make new plastics.

CEO and Founder of Recycling Technologies, Adrian Griffiths, said “We are delighted that Swindon is hoping to be the home of England’s first aPRF which includes our RT7000 recycling machine. There is an urgent need for more plastic recycling capacity in the UK to not only stem the flow of plastics into landfill and our environment, but to also create jobs and boost economic prosperity across the region.”

At TrakRap, we’ve discussed the need for the UK to overhaul its recycling infrastructure in order to increase recycling rates before and this new development sounds like it could be a game changer. One of the biggest problems with plastic recycling in the UK is that a number of plastics aren’t recyclable, so reducing that number can only be good news.

If your Christmas break seems to have gone by just a little too quickly, don’t despair - we have some good news to lift your spirits. Recently released results have shown that a plastic bottle deposit scheme which launched in 2018 has proven a big hit with consumers and has already delivered significant results.

The scheme, which was designed to reduce littering, sees consumers returning their empty plastic bottles to ‘reverse vending machines’ at selected supermarkets across the UK in exchange for money-off vouchers worth 10p per bottle.

Since launching six months ago, the vending machines have seen a staggering 311,500 bottles being recycled; throughout November, bottles were deposited at an incredible rate of 2,583 per day. What makes this even more impressive is the fact that the reverse vending machines are only currently available at five locations.

Head of Oceans at Greenpeace UK, Will McCallum, said: “The success of (this) reverse vending machine trial demonstrates that deposit return schemes to boost recycling and tackle plastic pollution are both popular with consumers and eminently doable.”

Here at TrakRap, we think this is a great start to 2019. With just 43% of the 13bn plastic bottles sold each year in the UK currently being recycled, and an estimated 700,000 becoming litter every day, this is fantastic news. More supermarkets are currently trialling similar schemes but are yet to announce the results so we’ll be keeping an eye out for them in the coming months.

Happy New Year!

With 2019 fast approaching, we thought we’d take a look back at what’s gone on at TrakRap and in the packaging industry over the last twelve months.

2018 began with the Chinese government implementing its ban on the importation of plastic waste. Despite the announcement initially triggering alarm bells across the UK – the UK has been exporting 55% of its waste paper and circa 25% of its plastic waste there for many years – it ultimately led to several reasons to be positive. Following the announcement, constructive conversations about the best ways to improve the UK’s recycling infrastructure and reduce the amount of single-use plastics took place, and numerous supermarkets and retailers pledged to reduce the amount of waste they produce.

Next, one of our apprentices - Mechanical Assembly Engineer, Danny Blake – was crowned Engineering Apprentice of the Year at the Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance (SEMTA) Skills Awards in March.

In May, it was announced that UK recycling rates had increased and consumer demand for sustainable packaging had grown significantly, with 62% of respondents to a YouGov survey reporting that the environmentally-friendly credentials of their food packaging was a key factor when making a purchase.

Then, bringing the year to a close on an even more positive note, we won our second award of 2018 when our TrakRap packaging system picked up the Food & Drink Federation Award for Innovation in September.

So that was 2018; we can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store. Until then, we’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Some good news from the government this week after it revealed plans to make funding available to UK organisations to help them establish themselves as global leaders in the field of sustainable packaging development.

As part of the government’s new Industrial Strategy, companies are being challenged to come up with new sustainable packaging solutions that will help the global shift towards greener economies.

In addition to increasing the use of recycled plastics wherever possible, some of the solutions that have already been mooted include:

·         Turning food scraps into environmentally-friendly plastic bags and cups

·         Smart packaging labels that indicate which recycling bin the packaging should be placed in (where applicable)

·         Packaging that features a ‘living sell-by-date’ which deteriorate at the same rate as produce to show consumers exactly how close to going off the food is

The new funding, which will also be bolstered by industry support, will be available through a series of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) managed competitions in cooperation with the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

At TrakRap, we think this is a great idea. Any new packaging innovation that enables the industry to increase its environmentally-friendly credentials can only be a good thing and we’ll be keeping a close eye on the new solutions over the coming months.

Our business has been expanding for some time now and, because 2018 has been another successful year, we’ve decided to employee Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry specialist Simon Burrow as Commercial Director to help us grow even further.

Simon has spent 30 years in senior roles at major FMCG organisations such as Premier Foods, Heineken, Kerry Group and Rank Hovis McDougall, where he worked with a number of large brands, including Bisto, Galaxy, Ambrosia and Mr Kipling, and several retailers’ own-label brands.

Simon said: “The TrakRap system reduces plastic in the FMCG supply chain by around 70%, while at the same time consuming nearly 90% less power than conventional shrink-wrapping technology.

“To have been invited to lead such an important development - which will have a significant impact on plastic and CO2 reduction in our industry - is a privilege and I am looking forward to helping manufacturers and retailers take an important step forward in meeting their environmental objectives.”

Martin Leeming, CEO of TrakRap, said: ““We’re thrilled to have added Simon to our growing team. He is a hugely experienced professional who knows our industry inside-out and I’m sure his customer service-led approach will open more doors for us and allow us to grow even faster.”

A new survey has revealed that nine in ten shoppers want the government to provide legislation to ensure brands disclose exactly how sustainable their products’ packaging is.

7,000 shoppers in the UK took part in the European Consumer Perceptions Survey, with 88% of respondents saying that packaging ought to include information about how environmentally-friendly is it, in order to allow them to make better-informed decisions about whether to purchase it.

53% of 19-29 year olds surveyed said they had switched brands in the last twelve months because of concerns over the sustainability of packaging, with recyclability and excessive amounts of packaging the biggest concerns. The survey also revealed that nine in ten UK shoppers want packaging that is easy to recycle, and eight in ten of over-50s believe more should be done to introduce more sustainable packaging.

Tony Hitchin, general manager at Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard Manufacturers, said: “The research points to the rapidly changing attitudes and behaviours of consumers. Retailers and brands know they must satisfy customers in their demands for more environmentally-friendly packaging.”

We’re big fans of insightful surveys at TrakRap and this one includes some eye-catching statistics that clearly show how consumer attitudes towards packaging are changing. We’ve said before that, in order to ensure all packaging is environmentally-friendly in future, consumers will have to be as committed to it as the organisations responsible for producing it. If this survey is anything to go by, that commitment is there in spades.

A newly launched apprenticeship could help the packaging industry hit its sustainability targets by 2025, according to reports.

The new Packaging Professional degree apprenticeship was approved earlier this year by the Institute for Apprenticeships, in conjunction with several companies from within the packaging design, supply chain, food and pharma sectors.

With a focus on sustainability and designing new packaging solutions, the apprenticeship will also: teach students how to ensure new packaging designs meet legal requirements; offer them experience of working with a wide variety of materials; and help them identify opportunities for technological improvements.

By creating new packaging solutions with sustainability at their core, experts hope the next generation of packaging professionals will help make the target of ensuring all plastic packaging is sustainable by 2025 more achievable. If successful, the apprenticeship should also provide a steady stream of new professionals to the industry, help enable new innovations and eliminate the risk of a potential skills gap.

Gerry Berragan, chief executive at the Institute for Apprenticeships said: “The launch of a new Packaging Professional degree apprenticeship at such a key time could prove a massive game changer for the packaging industry. This new degree apprenticeship could mean more homegrown talent can now get involved (in creating new packaging solutions), and this will enable both young people and our packaging industry as a whole to play a key role in the sustainable packaging movement.”

We have high hopes for the new apprenticeship at TrakRap and look forward to seeing the results it delivers over the coming years.

TrakRap CEO Martin Leeming was delighted to take his place alongside more than 1,000 other delegates at the tenth annual Manufacturing Leaders’ Summit in Liverpool earlier this week, where he delivered a presentation to attendees about the importance of digitising their manufacturing operations.

Martin’s presentation focussed on the benefits that digital twins can deliver to businesses. A digital twin is a digital replica of a physical asset, such as a piece of machinery, which can be used to monitor the health and productivity of the physical version, enabling preventative maintenance to be carried out remotely where necessary, and updates and improvements to be trialled to establish their effectiveness before they are implemented.

His presentation – ‘Birthing Your Digital Twin’ – looked at the ways in which digital twins can help manufacturers increase productivity and efficiency, reduce time to market, lower cost of ownership and improve overall equipment effectiveness. It also included advice for companies on how to get started on their digital journey.

This year’s Summit drew 40% more attendees than in 2017 and, in addition to Martin, they were treated to presentations from representatives of some of the biggest companies in the world including PepsiCo, Siemens, Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline.

If you want to find out how our TrakRap Packaging Machines – and their digital twins - can benefit your organisation, you can contact us here.

As regular readers of this blog will know, we pride ourselves on our environmentally-friendly credentials at TrakRap, and we champion sustainability in all its forms wherever possible, so naturally we were delighted when we came across a positive environmental news story earlier this week.

The government has announced that more than 10 million trees will be planted in England over the next five years, as part of a drive to preserve the country’s greenery and tackle climate change. It also revealed that it was considering creating a ‘Great Thames Park’, which would feature more newly planted trees, in the Thames estuary by 2020.

The drive would also help England improve its poor tree-planting record. Approximately 1.6m trees were planted in England in during the 2017-18 financial year, equivalent to 895 hectares. During the same period in Scotland, however, a whopping 7,100 hectares of new trees were planted, highlighting the lengths that we still need to go to in this country if we’re to bring ourselves in line with our European neighbours.

Although the drive will cost in the region of £60m – with £50m going to the landowners who plant the trees and £10m being targeted at planting trees in towns and cities – the environmental benefits of increasing the number of trees, which capture carbon dioxide emissions and help reduce air pollution levels, are priceless.

You may remember that, in January 2018, we reported on the Chinese Government’s decision to ban the importation of plastic waste and the impact this was likely to have on the UK, particularly its recycling industry.

Well, it’s now 11 months on and the impacts are certainly being felt, with some local councils reporting that the knock-on effect of the ban is likely to cost them an additional £500,000 by the end of the year, as the plastic recycling industry continues to struggle with the impact of the decision.

The Local Government Association (LGA) announced that nearly 50% of the councils which replied to a recent survey said China’s ban on plastic imports had driven up recycling costs (as a result of rising processing charges per tonne) and affected their ability to collect and recycle plastic.

Martin Tett, environment spokesman for the LGA, said: “It’s clear that the ban by China on imported waste, which could soon be implemented by other countries, could have a marked impact on councils’ ability to recycle. It is essential that the government provide support to help councils offset the loss of income they face as a result of the ban. Councils want manufacturers to play their part to reduce the amount of material entering the environment which can’t be recycled.”

Here at TrakRap, we second the thoughts of the LGA. Only by improving the UK’s recycling infrastructure and adopting a holistic approach to the issue of plastic packaging waste – from designers and manufacturers, to retailers and consumers - can we offset the impact of the export ban.