Here at Corilla Plastics we’re proud to be at the forefront of the drive to improve the sustainability of the construction industry in Wales.
The Welsh Government and the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) both have ambitious sustainability targets. WRAP are focused on achieving a Zero Waste Wales. While the Welsh Government intend the construction industry to prepare a minimum of 70% of its non-hazardous waste for re-use and recycling by 2015/16. Furthermore they want to achieve recycling or re-use of 90% by 2019/20. Such determined aspirations are proving to be major drivers behind the de-carbonisation of the construction industry in Wales.
With this in mind Corilla Plastics are currently in the development phase of a project aimed at creating the first circular economy model for recyclable mortar tubs made from a combination of recycled Polyethylene (PE) and rubber. The combination of rubber with the PE we already use in our mortar tubs will give the product more durability and a longer life cycle.
As well as creating new opportunities for growth, creating a circular economy will:
- Reduce waste
- Drive greater resource productivity
- Deliver a more competitive UK economy
- Position the UK to better address emerging resource scarcity & security issues
- Help reduce the environmental impacts of our production and consumption in both the UK and abroad
During an extensive research period before properly entering the design and creation phase of this project, we came across several key challenges that we needed to address before production could begin. We needed to not only ensure that there was a market for such a product, we also needed to ensure that by adding rubber to the mortar tubs the recycling stream of the PE wasn’t contaminated.
In addition to this, we also aim to create a model providing customers with an incentive to return their used mortar tubs to us for recycling (either at a facility we will create on site or with a Waste Management company we will partner with) and the financial viability of this plan had to be ascertained.