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Pontypridd and Valleys

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Plastek Industries - recycling in action

Malcolm Williams, director of Plastek Industies, proudly presents his certificate as runner-up in the Wales Environmental Awards 2000.

Plastek Industries are the first company in South Wales to receive a European grant for clean technology. It was also came second in the Wales Environmental Awards 2000.

But the financial rewards are not just in the form of Government support. The cost of producing plastic from recycled material is only about half that from virgin material. Although the goods produced are sold at a slightly lower price, the profit margins are still substantially greater.

The Company produce goods in a variety of plastic materials (polyethylene, PET, ABS) for a number of markets, with the amount of recycled plastic varying from 0% for meical containers to 100% for some crates.

Ethical considerations form part of the company's Mission Statement. Cadmium is not used in colouring, even though it is permitted in Britain, but not elsewhere in Europe.

Malcolm Wiliams injects his philosophy of recycling and reuse into every process. Offcuts and rejects are granulated and remolded, polyethylene wrappings are used as raw material, and even the packaging of his own products are collected from customers for granulation. Paper is not thrown away if the reverse side can be used for writing notes. On the wall are charts showing what happens to the materials. He prides himself that in the four years that the company have been in Clydach Vale, he has filled only six waste skips.

Every opportunity to recycle is a victory. He has just received a phone call from someone in Merthyr who disposes of 600 plastic bottles per week. His main source of granulate is Denmark. Interesting to note that it is cost-effective to transport waste such distances.

Malcolm Williams mentions the ideas he has floated. He is interested in curbisde collection of recyclables from the point of view of producing the containers. When it was proposed in Newport 90% of households responded positively. He would also like to establish an intermediate storage depot for recylable materials, something which he claims would create twelve jobs. Neither idea has recieved positive response from Rhondda Cynon Taff Council.

He is impressed with recycling he has seen abroad. "In Denmark", he says, "they collect bottles in automatic containers which give you a credit slip toward your next purchase and you can't buy new batteries unless you give in your old one."

He is sad to see Wales lag so far behind, a consequence he sees of lack of vision amongst decision-makers.

Rejected containers are turned back into granulate for reuse.

Further details:

Telephone: 01443 439 991
Website: (www.plastek.co.uk)
Email: enqplastek@aol.com

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This page was last updated on 17 August 2000 _________ Back to: net-cymru Home Page