Cromwell Polythene says it has invested in new machinery and upgraded existing equipment at its Alfreton site to increase its capacity for film extrusion and bag making.
Leeds-based Cromwell says it can now produce another two million plastic recycling and waste bags from recycled and virgin film per week. The latest additions to the Derbyshire site of its subsidiary, CPR Manufacturing, bring the total investment at the facility to £1 million.
Cromwell Polythene produces waste and recycling sacks
Cromwell purchased Alfreton-based Moorgreen Flexible Packaging from Duo Plastics Limited and renamed it Cromwell Plastics Recycling in January 2020, increasing the group’s capacity to recover and reprocess scrap polythene (see letsrecycle.com story). While the name was changed, the business continued to trade as usual, and all staff were retained. Its name has since been changed again to CPR Manufacturing.
The facility specialises in recycling and film extrusion, along with the manufacturing of polythene, film, bags, and sacks from recycled and prime virgin polythene. On average, the finished polythene products sold by Cromwell contain 80% recycled and 20% virgin material, though some products contain 100% recycled material. Forty per cent of the feedstock at the CPR Manufacturing site is used material, compared to 70% across the whole Cromwell group.
James Lee, managing director of Cromwell Polythene, said: “Our comprehensive range of products is designed to prompt responsible waste disposal and recycling behaviour, whilst helping to keep people safe and minimise infection risk.”
Machinery
Cromwell’s main investment focus has been in bag making machines to produce recycling and waste sacks, including clinical waste sacks. In terms of upgrades to its existing machinery, it has replaced its main DC drive motors with AC motors for increased reliability and energy efficiency.
Various mechanical engineering works were undertaken to increase output and efficiencies in recycling and film extrusion. A new replacement chilled water system with water recycling and new insulated pipework has also been put in place.
Cromwell says the investments have also improved processes and increased energy efficiency to help meet Climate Change Agreement obligations.
The extrusion process demonstrated at CPR Manufacturing’s Alfreton facility
Covid-19
Cromwell says it saw increased demand for its range of essential products during the early part of the pandemic. The range includes disposable gloves, aprons, and other PPE, as well as its range of sacks to capture clinical waste, including dressings and Covid-19 testing kits. Cromwell says it saw a particularly sharp spike in demand for apron films.
“Our comprehensive range of products is designed to prompt responsible waste disposal and recycling behaviour”
However, the company says demand for PPE has now reduced “significantly”, with imports flowing into the UK from the Far East and Turkey.
It says its focus has returned to its traditional markets, including food delivery packaging, packaging films, and waste and recycling sacks.
Feedstock
Cromwell says all its feedstock comes from the UK. Some comes through the company’s free used polythene recovery service, while it buys the rest from waste management firms with polythene-rich recycling waste streams. The company runs its own collection fleet, with polythene returned to its distribution centre and manufacturing site on a backload basis.
The packaging waste it collects includes transit packaging, used bags and protective films from carpet covering, amongst others. It does not take material from skip businesses as it says this is generally too dirty. Cromwell cannot take material contaminated with agricultural, food, or construction-type wastes, the company says.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Plastic
