Life After Death For Your Wheelie Bin

Wheelie bins are made from plastic using a process known as injection moulding, the two main elements which are the head and body will be formed separately, and additional parts such as wheels, axle and hinges will of course be added to make a fully functional wheelie bin.
Because wheelie bins don’t exactly have an easy life and quality does vary between manufacturers UK/EU bins will be certified and tested to EN840 and an additional feature of quality wheelie bins is ultra violet protection which is highly beneficial as without this the wheelie bins exposed to sunlight go brittle much quicker and tend to split very easily as do the lower quality wheelie bins which often originate from China.
The number of bins that are replaced each year from damage and wear is considerable, 100’s of thousands of wheelie bins are replaced and rather than sending these bins to landfill they are collected by local authority’s and then passed to specialist plastic recycling companies.
Once the old or damaged wheelie bins have been collected by the plastic recycling specialists they need to go through a few steps prior to being recycled,
Step 1:
Washing, all the years of crud inside and outside needs to be removed, along with any stickers such as house numbers, all these stickers have adhesive behind them that needs to be removed prior to any recycling taking place.
Step 2:
Removal of the wheels, axles and hinges, basically all that a plastic recycler is interested in is the parts made from plastic, metal and rubber components would be stored separately and these would be collected by their respective recyclers.
Step 3:
At this stage the body and lid of the wheelie bin get dropped in to large shredders and comes out the other side as small regrind pieces of plastic, this regrind plastic is then tested and graded as to its composition. Regrind plastic is often re-used as is by adding a quantity to a mix with virgin plastic in the production run of a new plastic product, any that is not used will go on to the next stage in the recycling of plastic process.
Step 4:
This is the final stage in the recycling of plastic wheelie bins, here the cleaned granulated plastic is processed in to a recycled compound by melting and extruding in the form of pellets. These plastic pellets can then be used to manufacture a wide range of products, some of which could be more wheelie bins but equally likely is your new cars bumper could have been your tired old wheelie bin in a previous life.

The Wheelie Bin Lifecycle

Wheelie bins first started to appear on our streets in the early 80’s their introduction came about due to health and safety legislation updates to protect refuse collectors from carrying the old heavy metal dustbins and to also improve exposure to the actual household waste we throw away.

The standard two wheeled rubbish bins we use at home here in the UK do vary in size and colour dependent on which local authority you live under, however the simple design remains the same.

Wheelie bins are manufactured out of plastic using a process known as injection moulding, the body and head will be formed using separate moulds, the axle will be made of metal and rubber wheels attached to either end, lastly some form of hinge will be required to fasten the lid to the body and allow opening.

Not all wheelie bins are the same, UK and European made wheelie bins are usually higher quality that of those manufactured in China, UK/EU bins will be certified and tested to EN840 standards to ensure safety and quality, another longevity feature that quality wheelie bins have is ultraviolet protection which will help protect the plastic from going brittle.

Old or Broken Wheelie Bins
Ever wondered what happens to your old worn out or damaged wheelie bin, you haven’t? Okay well read on if you would like to know.

Most old or damaged wheelie bins find themselves at local council depots or waste management companies were they are stripped of their wheels and stacked awaiting collection by the plastic recycling companies.

Once the wheelie bins have been collected by the plastic recycling companies they are thoroughly cleaned and all traces of rubbish removed from the inside, they are then loaded into large hoppers which feed into the plastic shredders, from here the regrind plastic is laboratory tested, graded and approved.

Regrind plastic is often supplied and used as part of a production run mix with new plastic or further processed into a recycled compound by melting the clean granulated plastic and extruding in the form of pellets ready to be used to manufacture another batch of wheelie bins

Why Use Recycled Plastic in Manufacturing

Many plastic manufacturers have already recognised the cost savings that can be made by adding a % of recycled or regrind plastic to their mix, be this injection or extrusion manufacturing processes the cost savings can be huge especially when a volume run is planned. Considering the cost based on similar grade a regrind plastic will come in at less than half the price of new plastic, even fully recycled plastic whilst slightly more expensive than regrind will still be substantially cheaper than new plastic material. Savings made will naturally vary based on the type of plastic you are using and to what degree you are able to mix.

Of course there are the added benefits to the environment which all manufactures can promote, and any reduction in consumption of new raw materials can only be good for the environment but as an added benefit to a manufacturer who uses recycled plastic will be the marketing message this sends out to their customers, surely this will only help boost sales and profits even further.

Sending out the right message, by using recycled plastics or any other recycled product for that matter shows that the manufacturer has a forward thinking and positive attitude to not only the environment but also to their local community, again all positive votes for your business and brand which will all lead to long term business growth. So what you waiting for, start making savings and do your part to reduce the drain on natural resources today.

Regrind or Recycled?
Reground plastic is much cheaper than recycled plastic in pellet form, due to the lower amount of work involved, basically the old plastic type would need to be identified either by using the a Plastic Identification Codes – or PIC code or by sampling and testing in a laboratory identify it’s type and flow rates before washing to remove debris and labels then finally feeding into a large hopper and running through a shredding or grinding machine, once this is all complete the regrind plastic is bagged and weighed.

Recycled plastic has to undergo further processes to be ready for use in manufacturing, such as melting the clean reground plastic and extruding in to the form of pellets.

To sum up, if you are involved in plastic manufacturing and are considering using recycled material then the benefits are three fold,

• Cheaper
• More Profit
• Environmental Friendly

CK Polymers offer a selection of plastic recycling services and distribute a wide range of rGrade plastic raw materials to compounding and moulding companies across the globe. We are always looking for new