SOCIAL PLASTIC
Waste plastic bottles , bags & containers are collected from beaches and riverbanks by local people who are paid for their services – these are taken to local centres for sorting and the recycling process begins .
COLLECTED PLASTIC
Coastal regions are an increasingly important source of waste plastic . Every year millions of bottles are collected and reprocessed to make plastic containers , bottles and products that can be used and recycled over & over again .
BELL INTRODUCE REUSED OCEAN PLASTIC
One of the most exciting developments in the plastic packaging industry is our ability to access and reprocess the post-consumer waste found on our beaches , riverbanks and along the perimeters of our oceans .
Unfortunately , plastic is now seen as a bad product – yet out of sight , beneath the surface of our oceans , there are millions of tons of other waste packaging made from glass , paperboard and metal that do not float and therefore cannot be seen .
Plastic has become a key focus on social media and in television documentaries , with politicians and supermarkets looking for ways to enhance their green credentials and promote a greener world .
There can be no excuse for rubbish being discarded into the environment and Bell are one of the fi rst companies in Europe to endorse and support the collection and recycling of these materials .
In 2019 Bell launched Retran ® - a polyester-based material containing a minimum 70 % recycled content . The credentials of this material are very high – pharmaceutical and food grade , with excellent clarity and full certification . The product has been hugely successful and nearly 80 % of our customers around the world have switched to this exciting new product .
The 70 % recycled content meets the new plastic packaging tax being introduced in April 2022 , however Bell recognised the need to keep moving forward and
in 2021 introduced Biojet ® . In simple terms , this is Retran ® with an additive that stimulates and accelerates the biodegrading process .
Whilst both of these products have been hugely successful , we recognised that even more needed to be done . Bell have worked throughout the pandemic , to identify reliable sources of plastic derived from the ocean . In simple terms this is “ Reused Ocean Plastic ”.
The polymer used to produce the new packaging is being sourced from companies who organise local communities to collect plastic waste from beaches , riverbanks and ocean perimeters . Generally , these are communities who do not have the infrastructure for waste management but by paying local people to collect the plastic and deliver it to recycling facilities , the problem is reduced .
As we have all seen , there are large quantities of plastic waste fl oating in the sea . If we can help to collect and reuse some of this waste , and turn it back into useful products , then we are taking a signifi cant step forward towards a better global environment .
The new material has been extensively tested and meets the minimum strength requirements of our processes . It has excellent optical qualities and our testing to date reports that there has been no difference in the performance of the new material , compared to Retran ® , Jetran ® or Biojet ® packaging .
Bell Packaging have started converting Reused Ocean Plastic for our forming and insert divisions , with tubing & boxes to follow in 2022 .
Samples and more information are available from our offices in Luton .
www . bellpackaging . com + 44 ( 0 ) 1582 459292