Cover story
GOING GREEN
Polymath vs . polymers : Bath ’ s multi-skilled recycling entrepreneur
When TBE last heard from Edward Chudleigh , the world was still in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and he had just picked up an MBE for his work with Foldall – a non-profit company he set up in his basement during Lockdown to produce much-needed PPE face shields .
A commercial pilot , an engineer , an artist ( making sculptures from recycled materials ) and an inventor , Edward operates out of a self-built computer and robotics lab in his basement in Bath .
Four years on , he explains why the kind of recycling he offers is best in terms of sustainability and value , and - when it comes to his future plans – the sky is the limit …
Tell us about your business model – is Foldall still going ? Foldall was just a pandemic thing . I ’ ve since gone back to doing what I did before - working on machines which recycle plastics .
We ( that ’ s actually me and seven robots !) are not a company at the moment – but officially our trading name is ‘ Plastainable .’ We are still in the research stages but essentially , we take waste from businesses in the Bath area and then turn it back into products . Clients then buy back the products for a discounted rate and the products themselves are usually applicable to something that they do in their business .
“ I like to think big , but you ’ ve got to start small ”
For example , I ’ ve been working with Corkage restaurant in Bath , which has involved taking their waste and turning it into things like ramekins or drinking vessels . The key point with this is that we take mixed plastic , so we don ’ t have to sort it .
The current problem with general recycling is that you have to sort it into different types , because plastics don ’ t like being mixed , but the machine that I invented ( Genesis2™ ) makes products from mixed plastic waste .
Our other stream is looking at developing products from sustainable bio plastics which
COVER PICTURE : A lamp made entirely from recycled plastic bottles showcases the positive impact Edward is striving to achieve , manufacturing amazing products from recycled waste . are good for the planet . I ’ ve just finished developing our first bioplastic product made entirely from plants .
Are you looking to scale up your current operation ? Yes , the idea is that we will eventually serve the whole of Bath and the surrounding area . Then hopefully when it gets bigger there will be another hub in Bristol and various places ( perhaps even the world !).
I ’ ve recently got a new facility , so we are now moving the robots and the machines out of my lab at home to an industrial space . We started recycling in the new centre this week .
The next stage will be trial runs with a few businesses in town where we will take the waste and we can do that at a lower rate than anyone else because it ’ s not waste to us - it ’ s a raw material . Genesis2™ does the hard work .
“ I ’ d like to think that I ’ ve had a positive impact on the planet when I ’ m gone ”
Are there any significant projects in the pipeline ? We ’ re currently doing trials with some major household names , but I can ’ t mention them for confidentiality reasons .
Alongside the B2B part of what I do , i . e . turning waste into products and selling it back to the client there is also the B2C aspect , which is taking waste and making products available to any customers .
Recycled products can have a bad image . People are more forgiving about the quality or function , but I want to change that !
You ’ re spinning a lot of plates . What motivates you to be involved in the recycling industry in addition to being a commercial pilot ? Rising to the various challenges . The current difficulties around using recycled materials are significant , so that presents the challenge of having to design , build and invent machines which can overcome this .
Then there ’ s the other side which is basically looking at waste management and how to create a circular waste economy that works , so that no plastic goes to landfill or gets incinerated .
The third thing is the really big challenge of designing products with this material that look good and work really well .
Finally , I ’ d like to think that I ’ ve had a positive impact on the planet when I ’ m gone !
What are the next steps in terms of scaling up ? I like to think big , but you ’ ve got to start small . Working with restaurants is a good place to begin because they use a vast array of different polymers .
Alongside that , I want to spend more investment and more time on researching polymer replacements , or better ways to recycle mixed polymers . Mixed recycling is a very innovative new thing but still in its infancy .
What are the main messages you ’ d like TBE to share ? One key thing to remember is that my recycling is cheaper because I can take it mixed . Moreover , it gets turned into something useful as opposed to being burnt or going to landfill . This is a good message for businesses to market and capitalise on .
Also , although my website is still in development , it would be good to work with some more companies who are conscious about what they are doing with waste .
So , to find out more , people can contact me by emailing : ask @ plastainable . com
@ edwardchudleigh
For more info : www . edwardchudleigh . com
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