Page 50 from: Recycling International September issue | 2021

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AustrAliA And nZ drive
circulAr tyre solutions
rubber recycler revyre is raising funds to
boost tyre recycling in Australia and new
Zealand and has teamed up with infraco,
energy estate and Project Portfolio
Management to accelerate its growth strat-
egy.
Revyre launched its first tyre recycling facilities
in the region last year during the pandemic. Its
recent business partnerships have won support
from feedstock providers and, as a next step,
the company wants to construct several more
plants across Australia and New Zealand. The
company is currently in discussions with inter-
ested parties and is hoping to achieve financial
close for the first sites within the next 12
months.
The recycler explains its solution ‘re-purposes
100% of tyre constituents by implementing a
highly efficient circular process with near zero
emissions, no by-products and no toxic chemi-
cals’. The technology disintegrates most tyres
and recovers the rubber compound and scrap
steel for re-use. Revyre will focus initially on
truck-bus-radial and off-road tyres that yield a
rubber compound that can be used to manu-
facture new tyres as well as general black rub-
ber goods.
‘Revyre has entered the market at the right
time to provide a global best practice solution
to mining companies who continue to argue
that burying or dumping tyres is the only via-
ble option for them,’ says company ceo Shaun
Zukor. ‘We now know our re-processing solu-
tion is economically viable, environmentally
sustainable and helps tyre manufacturers keep
their costs in check as natural rubber demand
and risks rise.’

drAgons’ den PAnel bAcks recycled Ps flood relief
systeM

in the wake of the
european flooding
this summer in which
more than 200 people
lost their lives, a
british entrepreneur
has come up with an
innovative way to
help prevent disaster
while putting plastic
waste to good use.
‘Generally, 23% of busi-
nesses do not reopen
after flooding,’ says
entrepreneur Gary
Giles of UK firm Ogel.

He’s come up with block-like system made from 100% recycled polystyrene that is
reusable and which ‘can turn into something different each time’. ‘It’s a bit like
Lego,’ Giles describes his patented plastic brick structure that can create a buffer
against flooding as well as being used for emergency shelters or pop-up medical
facilities.
The Ogel flood defence system has a number of advantages:
• quick installation and dismantling
• less business interruption
• lower insurance premiums
• compact when not in use
‘The beauty of our system is that we put waste plastic to work as a fast-build flood
defence barrier, in essence solving a problem with a problem,’ Giles comments.
As a further option, the recycled system can be used to set up mobile home offices,
called ‘taskpods’, which Giles says are in high demand in the post-Covid world. The
former accountant adds that Ogel developed these new solutions in 2020 despite
strict pandemic restrictions.
The South Shields entrepreneur recently debuted his idea on the BBC TV show
Dragons’ Den. He secured an initial investment of £50 000 (EUR 58 300) that will go
towards the launch of two new products. A fun fact is that Giles nearly deleted the
BBC’s invitation to audition as it has ended up in the start-up company’s spam folder.
‘The reality was that we were still in product development and weren’t actually look-
ing for investment at this point but we knew that the exposure was priceless,’ Giles
recalls. ‘Even if the Dragons ripped us to shreds, it’d better to get a reality check.’

WelcoMe to the second-hAnd shoPPing MAll!
berlin is a cultural
hotspot beloved of
famous artists. My
favourite singer david
bowie recorded three
albums in the german
capital. now it seems
the city is inspiring
entrepreneurs to
embrace sustainability.
how? by dedicating an
entire floor of a shop-
ping mall to selling
used items.

By Kirstin Linnenkoper

On the heels of the pan-
demic, commerce is
thriving. I can attest to
wanting to escape the
house after months of

confinement and go for lunch, go shopping – just because we can do so again.
There is simply no substitute for getting a freshly brewed latte macchiato with
my girlfriends.
It doesn’t surprise me to learn that Europe is home to around 9 500 shopping
malls. France, the UK and Germany lead the market with annual turnovers of
more than EUR 125 billion; EUR 110 billion and 77.5 billion, respectively. Rather
than jumping on the ‘must-have gadget’ bandwagon, Berlin is taking a unique
approach by opening what it calls the ‘shopping mall of the future’.
It contains drop-off points for end-of-life products, repair cafés, thrift stores,
pop-up stores that act as a public yard sale, restaurants that serve food and
drinks made from close to ‘use by’ ingredients (to reduce waste) as well as a
space where various creative workshops can be held.
‘Every household in Berlin has about 250 unused items lying around,’ estimates
Dorothee Winden, deputy press speaker of the city’s department for the envi-
ronment, transport, and climate. She believes the second-hand mall will make it
easy for consumers to find fully functional used products when they’re shop-
ping for replacements. In turn, this will extend the lifecycle of existing products
and curb consumerism, reducing the need to mine for virgin resources.
The post-consumer shopping centre is now open for an initial period of six
months, which sounds like a good excuse to visit the city during my Christmas
break – to support eco-friendly businesses and my own sanity. Ultimately, Berlin
wants to build three to four such locations that are open all year round, perma-
nently.
Based on data from online resale store ThredUp, this call comes at the right
time. The US second-hand market alone is projected to double in the next few
years, reaching US$ 77 billion (EUR 65 billion) by 2025.
Perhaps we should all take a moment to consider what 250 ‘forgotten’ prod-
ucts we can do away with (I’ve been meaning to clean out my three wardrobes
but putting it off because it’s a momentous task even with Bowie guiding me
through the chaos). I think I’ll start with something small and recycle hardly
worn stilettos, old jewellery and the coffee cup collection. Decluttering is
healthy, right?

coluMn

TECHNOLOGIES
THAT GENERATE VALUE
FOR THE SEPARATION INDUSTRY

www.sgmmagnetics.com

MAGNETISM – GRAVITY – SENSORS – X RAY – COLOR – BALLISTIC

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