Industry News

Process Safety

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers has monthly bulletins on process safety. They are accessible at the following Web site.

https://www.aiche.org/ccps/resources/process-safety-beacon/archives

Three recent bulletins are:

• October 2021 - How do you know your safety devices are working?

The November issue has the following comments for your information.

The Process Safety Beacon is the most-read AIChE publication. An estimated one million people read the Beacon around the world.

• The Beacon is written monthly by a committee that rigorously reviews the materials to ensure it is accurate and useful to the readers. This committee deserves a big Thank You for their efforts across the last 20 years

Safety is very important and being aware of your surrounding should always be at the top of your list.

Plastic Pollution and the Solution

Greg DeKunder, NOVA Chemicals polyethylene (PE) marketing Vice President presented his vision of where his company is creating a circular future for plastics ¹ . He addresses the environmental movement that supports cracking down on plastics waste and local initiatives banning or restricting single-use applications such as retail PE bags, single-portion takeout packaging and even the ubiquitous polyethylene terephthalate (PET) water bottle.

He answers questions about how NOVA’s plans to develop and implement circularity. He stated that “Achieving circularity will take all of us: the companies in the plastics value chain, our industry associations, government, NGOs and citizens. As a plastics supplier, we can add the most value to the transformation with innovation, investment and collaboration.”

Crisp Packets to Move to In-Store Recycling Labelling

On pack recycling label (OPRL) ² is adding crisp packets and metallised snack and chocolate wrappers to its specialist in-store recycling labelling, building on earlier announcements to include polypropylene (PP) films from 1 January 2022. This move, backed by WRAP ³ , will support The UK Plastics Pact target to ramp up all plastics packaging recycling to 70% by 2025 by simplifying messaging and broadening the range of plastic bags and wrappers consumers can recycle at front of store.

Following extensive research into the ability of sorting and reprocessing infrastructure to sort and recycle these lightly metallised wrappers within PP film streams, OPRL has extended further the use of its films label to packaging appearing on shelf from 1 January 2022.

Several supermarkets already collect crisp packets and similar wrapping via front of store recycling points, with many others trialing this ahead of expected roll out. Some of these collections are supported by the Flexible Plastics Fund, as part of their commitments under The UK Plastics Pact. OPRL is confident collections will be widely available across the UK (i.e. to more than 75% of the population) for lightly metallised and non-metallised mono-polymer PP film by January 2022, and, following thorough investigation, that the material will successfully be sorted and go on for processing into new packaging and products.

The definition of qualifying metallised packaging, agreed between a circular economy for flexible packaging (CEFLEX) ⁴ , WRAP and OPRL, is PP films where the metallisation layer is a maximum 0.1 micron applied by vacuum or vapour deposition to the inside of the pack, such as crisp packets. The labelling extension does not apply to packaging materials constructed of aluminium foil laminates such as pet food pouches, which should continue to be labelled ‘Don’t Recycle’.

OPRL is the only evidence-based UK recycling labelling scheme, taking into account not only what is collected for recycling but also the availability of infrastructure to sort and reprocess packaging, and effective markets for the resulting recycled material. On-pack labelling is used by nine out 10 of consumers for information on whether they can recycle items.

Karen Graley, Co-chair of OPRL’s Technical Advisory Committee, said “This move to extend further our Specialist in-store recycling labelling for PE and PP films to include metallised crisp packets and confectionary wraps is good news in simplifying messaging for consumers, allows us to capture more of this valuable material and drive higher recycling rates. It was crucial for us to establish the evidence base that the UK’s sorting and recycling infrastructure can cope with these lightly coated wrappers, and that they won’t contaminate recyclate streams or reduce quality, before making this move and we’re grateful for the information and assurances we’ve been given by key infrastructure stakeholders.”

Kevin Vyse, Co-chair of OPRL’s Technical Advisory Committee, added: “OPRL has been working with WRAP to support The UK Plastics Pact targets of 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging and 70% recycling rates of plastic packaging by 2025 right from the outset. The Flexible Packaging Fund has also supported this move and the extension of in-store collections by our retail members, together with the assurances that infrastructure providers have given over their ability to deal with the material collected, are major steps forward in helping meet these targets by engaging consumers much more actively in recycling PE and PP films now.”

Helen Bird, Strategic Technical Manager – Plastics at WRAP and member of OPRL’s Technical Advisory Committee, commented: “Ahead of plastic bags and wrappers being collected directly from people’s houses, supermarket collection points are a critical stepping-stone on this journey under The UK Plastics Pacts. In the last year the number of people taking bags and wrappers to supermarkets has nearly doubled and we expect this to grow significantly. We’re a nation of crisp lovers and it’s great to see the on-pack label informing people that the packs can be recycled at supermarkets; importantly, they are not just collected, but go on to be recycled. And we continue to encourage the supermarkets to tell their customers what happens to the materials once they are dropped off.”

Margaret Bates, Executive Director of OPRL Ltd, went on to explain: “As the only evidence-based recycling label in the UK we safeguard our reputation by ensuring there’s a proper evidence base underpinning our labelling decisions. It’s clear that the sorting and reprocessing systems can cope with lightly metallised wrappings without negative effects, but contamination with heavier aluminium foil laminates would be a major problem. It’s therefore essential these continue to be marked as ‘Don’t Recycle’ so that consumers get the right message very clearly on all packs.” The traceability and audit commitments under the Flexible Plastics Fund also give a full assurance, with 80% of the volumes collected to be processed here in the UK. So now we all need to get behind encouraging consumers to bring these lightweight packs back to store for recycling so we can lift plastics recycling from the current 46% to hit the 70% target for 2025.”

Circulus Launches Operations and Emerges as Leader in Plastics Recycling

The Houston-based company plans rapid expansion and infrastructure development to produce post-consumer resin (PCR) at scale

11 November 2021 HOUSTON--Circulus – a Houston-based public benefit limited liability company (PBLLC) producing PCR from recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) – today announced its launch in the U.S. market, starting with its fully operational plant in Riverbank, California. Circulus is a portfolio company of Ara Partners, a Houston-based private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments.

An emerging leader in plastics recycling, Circulus is building out a widespread footprint of plants that utilize advanced technologies with a multistep mechanical process to transform lower grade plastic into resin suitable for a variety of commercial and industrial applications. The company’s products address sustainability challenges with flexible plastics and revolutionize the use of PCR for plastic bags, shrink film, pouches, overwraps, and many more consumer-facing applications.

Circulus’ facility in Riverbank is designed to produce an excess of 40 million pounds of PCR each year. Compared to using virgin plastic, the resulting energy savings is the equivalent of 30 million gallons of gasoline, or about 30,000 trips around the Earth in the average car. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with production of Circulus’ PCR is approximately 88% below that of virgin resin.

“We are thrilled to contribute to the foundation that will minimize the impact of industrial manufacturing and preserve our environment for future generations,” said David Hudson, Circulus’ Founder & CEO. “Through our significant investment in infrastructure and commitment to manufacturing excellence, we are supporting green job creation and reinforcing the nation’s global position in sustainable manufacturing.”

Circulus is dedicated to environmental sustainability, diverting plastic from landfills, incineration, and the earth’s oceans. By expanding its footprint, the company is meeting insatiable demand for high-quality PCR by upcycling the nation’s plastic waste into circular, consumer-facing products. Circulus is committed to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions by operating facilities that utilize 100% renewable energy, including hydroelectric and wind power, and 85% recycled water.

Troy Thacker, a Managing Partner at Ara Partners, said, “We are pleased by the success of Circulus’ first facility. The high-quality PCR produced enables consumer-facing brands to enhance their packaging and eliminate a significant quantity of greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. We look forward to continuing to partner with the Circulus team to expand its footprint.”

The first Circulus plant is fully operational in Riverbank with multiple plants under construction and development. To learn more about Circulus, please visit the company Web site at www.circulus.com.