‘Stop letting other businesses profit from your waste’ is the message from phs Wastekit to the hospitality industry as the company reveals just how much money you can make from selling your waste plastic and cardboard.
Plastic and cardboard have become valuable commodities in recent years with the most recent figures from Lets Recycle showing that waste cardboard can now command up to £97 per tonne and plastic up to £500 per tonne (October 2023).
Jason Smith is the Managing Director of phs Wastekit, which works with businesses to provide sustainable waste management solutions like baling machines. He says although there is money to be made in selling waste plastics and cardboard directly to recycling companies, many hospitality businesses are still paying someone else to take their waste away and letting them profit from it instead.
“In a time when business costs are soaring and people are looking for ways to make savings, I find it amazing that so many still do this,” said Jason Smith. “Segregating your waste and maintaining control of your waste stream process should be a priority for all businesses from a CSR and sustainability perspective too. Without it, you don’t ever truly know where your waste is ending up.
“There are so many missed opportunities and I think it’s down to misconceptions. Businesses see it as extra work – but selling your recyclable waste is a simple process. It is about segregating your waste and getting the right equipment.
“A baling machine is simply operated with just the press of a button so there is minimal extra work. It bundles all of your waste cardboard and plastics into neat bales for you, which can then be sold directly to recycling companies or other businesses who use it for new products. It removes the need for costly waste disposal and puts money straight back into the business.
“It also means that you know exactly where your waste is going, so you can do the right thing by diverting waste from landfill, avoid exporting and recycling here in the UK.”
Chase Plastics in Suffolk is one of the UK’s longest established manufacturers of recycled plastic pellets in the UK. It buys clean scrap polythene film from businesses which it processes in the UK to make high performance recycled polythene pellets and compounds.
Johnstone Smith, Managing Director at Chase Plastics, said: “We have EUCertPlast accreditation, which means we offer the highest standards of traceability, quality and process control in plastic recycling.
“We work in partnership with companies who want to keep control of their incoming transit packaging. This ensures that they maximise the value of their plastic waste and meet their sustainability and corporate social responsibility objectives by being able to demonstrate that their waste is recycled here in the UK. We can give a price and arrange a prompt pick-up of the bales. It’s a quick and simple process.”
“It comes down to doing the right thing – both for your business and the environment,” added Jason Smith from phs Wastekit. “We supply a range of balers to suit all business needs that can create bales between 25kg and 650kg, and we work with our customers to help them better manage their waste for a more sustainable future, including finding the right recycling partner.”
phs Wastekit is one of the UK’s leading suppliers of balers and compactors, providing businesses with a whole service approach that supports them on their sustainability journey.
Part of the phs Group, phs Wastekit offers a nationwide service. As well as supplying high quality, excellent value, baler and compactor machines, phs Wastekit offers servicing and maintenance packages right across the UK.
phs Wastekit offers a free Waste Saving Audit and free trial of any machine to businesses to identify the savings that could be made and offer advice on sustainable waste management practices to support positive changes for our planet’s future.