Page 51 from: Read it online: issue 6!

PLASTICS SPECIAL

51recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2020

cled plastics,’ Slijkhuis recalls. A cool-
er example is limited edition
Terminator-inspired sunglasses made
with PCR plastics from e-scrap this
March, fittingly named ‘I’ll Be Back’.
‘To be fair, a lot of people still focus
on the aesthetic look and feel of plas-
tics alone – not their sustainability cre-
dentials. But this is slowly changing.
Since our material is suited to high-
tech applications, we are hoping to
help speed up the progress.’

Producers versus
consumers
Polypropylene is a cheaper alternative
to more expensive tech-plastics, which
makes it attractive for electronics pro-
ducers and consumers wanting to
save money. ‘There is a lot of this type
of material available on the market,’
Slijkhuis observes.
Speaking of consumer awareness of
recycling, he cites a recent street sur-
vey conducted in Brussels as part of
R&D project PolyCE, in which passers-
by were asked to say how much recy-
cled content is present in modern-day
electronics. ‘It was a social experiment
to see what consumers think and if
they’re on the right track.’

But it found that people are rather too
optimistic. ‘They guessed that
between 20-30% of products on the
market would feature some recycled
content and were stunned to hear
that, actually, only about 1% of all
electronics do. This figure is way too
low and I think we can do a lot better
than that.’
The PolyCE project, of which MGG
Polymers is one of the 20 parties
involved, aims to find a sustainable
solution for the 1.4 million tonnes of
plastic e-scrap components generated
in Europe each year.

BeATing THe ePidemic
‘During the first wave of the coronavi-
rus, all of a sudden it was quiet,’
Slijkhuis recalls. ‘Collections halted.
People stayed at home. No material
was coming in. I remember thinking
“we are going to produce as long as
we can”.
‘Finally, around Easter, our warehouse
was empty, our supplies were gone,
and it wasn’t until the first week of
May that we re-started operations. We
acquired enough scrap to last about
two weeks.’

Luckily, waste collections resumed
across Austria during that month.
‘That’s when a tsunami of material hit
us. You see, people had been stuck at
home, cleaning out their garages. We
were flooded with used electronics
well into the summer,’ Slijkhuis says.
This was great news for MGG’s clients,
who were scrambling for material for
several months.
‘Naturally, after a high comes a low.
Our recycling plant is seeing calmer
days now. But you know what, we
have a solid network of suppliers and
business partners. Some go back with
us over 15 years,’ Slijkhuis states.
‘So, we have reason to remain opti-
mistic despite the uncertain situation
we find ourselves in. Also, it’s impor-
tant to adopt a level-headed
approach. Don’t expect a worst-case
scenario. We’ve had no cases of
Covid-19 at our sites yet – touch
wood. So we keep looking forward
and do what we do best: recycling
plastics.’

Fotobijschrift

MGG’s plastics recycling plant in Kematen is the first in the
world able to produce post-consumer recycled (PCR) PC/
ABS, which represents roughly 10% of contemporary e-scrap
plastics mix.

KAderKoP
??

THe sunny side of scrAP
Environmental protec-
tion is a top priority at
the Müller-Guttenbrunn
Group every single day.
For this reason, the fam-
ily-owned company has
recently embarked on
an important new proj-
ect: building the largest
photovoltaic system in
the Amstetten district.
The solar panel struc-

ture was commissioned in April ‘just ahead of the good sunny season’, says
Chris Slijkhuis. It has been installed on the roof of the MGG Polymers plant
in Kematen, giving the space a sensible and sustainable purpose. With more
than 2 500 photovoltaic modules, it is one of the largest solar panel sites in
Lower Austria and can achieve an output of 788 kilowatts peak.
The Kematen team is proud that 100% of the electricity required to power
day-to-day operations is now obtained from sustainable sources. Other sites
will receive solar panels before the end of the year, bringing the group’s
total capacity to two megawatts peak. ‘What better way to enhance recy-
cling even further than using the power of the sun?’ Slijkhuis asks with a
smile.

www.mgg-polymers.com

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