Waste firm invests £290K to strengthen the South West’s circular economy
In a bid to strengthen the South West’s circular economy and to tackle throwaway culture, a leading waste management and recycling company has invested £290,000 in machinery and facilities at its specialist plastics reprocessing centre.
DCW, the Zero to Landfill firm based in Exeter, has introduced a new 10,000ltr fountain blender, an extruder machine and a mezzanine to its Marsh Barton plastics recycling and reprocessing plant, DCW Polymers. Together, the machinery will increase production of DCW’s recycled plastic furniture range by 400% and create eight new jobs.
Waste plastics collected from businesses across the South West are taken to DCW Polymers where they are shredded into plastic granules by the new extruder. This material then goes back into the manufacturing process. The extruder, purchased from Boston Matthews in Worcester, allows DCW’s team of plastic recycling experts to process five times more plastic waste, improving productivity and keeping as much of the region’s plastic waste as possible away from landfill.
The fountain blender can blend approximately four tonnes of recycled granulated plastic at any one time. It provides a mix of material and colour suitable for the manufacturing of DCW’s recycled garden range which includes benches, dining sets, tables, chairs, fencing, decking and dog agility equipment.
To complement the new machinery, the family-run firm has invested £60,000 to build a new mezzanine which has increased the square footage of DCW Polymers by 2,880 sq ft. The extra floor provides further storage space for DCW’s recycled garden range, ensuring that products can be ready to meet the growing customer demand.
Simon Almond, DCW Managing Director, said: “We’re passionate about achieving a more circular economy in the South West. Circular economies are vital to have in place if we are to win the fight against climate change as they lower carbon emissions, reduce the use of non-renewable resources and ensure that waste is kept away from landfill sites. We’re proud of how DCW Polymers is already contributing to our region’s circular economy with our recycled garden furniture range and our recent investment will continue to drive our growth in this area.
“It’s important to us that we support the UK manufacturing industry and we were pleased to source our new extruder machine from Worcester based Boston Matthews. Our new machinery allows us to scale up production to meet the growing demand for sustainable, durable outdoor furniture which isn’t detrimental to the environment.”
A sustainable alternative to timber, the plastic furniture and products are maintenance free, will not rot, splinter or corrode and will not require painting or treating. Each item is made using 100% plastic waste collected from South West businesses and holds a 10-year guarantee.
DCW Polymers is the only specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant south of Bridgwater. With a fleet of 70 modern vehicles, the commercial recycling firm can collect items from both businesses and wider communities, providing a processing service for bulky plastics such as plastic bins, playground equipment, garden furniture, plastic pallet crates and even larger items such as kayaks and fuel tanks.
DCW empties in excess of 14,000 containers every week, diverting more than 40,000 tonnes away from landfill each year. It was the first independent company in the South West to offer a Zero to Landfill solution, meaning that all materials that can be recycled, are. DCW’s Zero to Landfill solution helps support the waste management and recycling industry by providing materials for onward processing, recycling and manufacturing.
As well as its Zero to Landfill service for mixed commercial waste, DCW also provides specialist waste management services such as chemical and WEEE disposal and site clearances.
For more information about DCW’s services, call 01392 361300 or visit www.dcw.co.uk.
