Page 49 from: Recycling International – July/August issue 2023
TRENDS & UPDATES
49recyclinginternational.com | July/August | 2023
NEW ABS POLYMER HAS MORE THAN 95% RECYCLED MATERIAL
MBA Polymers UK has launched a polymer which is said to be ‘a revolutionary, high-quality recycled alternative’ to the plastics used
in electronics, automotive manufacturing and consumer goods.
The British company’s acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) product ABS 4125 UL con-
tains more than 95% recycled content and builds on technical developments at its
operations in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. The most commonly known use of ABS is for
Lego bricks.
ABS 4125 UL is the first of a range of premium-recycled polymers to be launched by
MBA Polymers UK and by 2030 the target is to deliver 100 000 tonnes of recycled
plastics content to manufacturers.
The new ABS product is derived from the e-waste sector. Its UL accreditation, which
verifies the quality, safety and sustainability of recycled plastics, is intended to give
further confidence to manufacturers about both its traceability and quality.
MBA Polymers UK is part of EMR, which recycles around 10 million tonnes of materials
each year, helping to ensure a reliable, high-quality feedstock including end-of-life
vehicles, household appliances and material from the construction industry.
Paul Mayhew, general manager at MBA Polymers UK, says: ‘The arrival of this new UL
listed ABS 4125 to the market is a transformational moment and I’ve been excited by
the interest it has already created among our customers, new and existing.
‘Manufacturers know all too well that changes in regulation, consumer behaviour and
the impact on the environment, means that increasing recycled content of products and creating circular products is now essential.’
Mayhew adds that people told him that creating an ABS product with such a high proportion of recycled material would not be possible.
‘Our team of dedicated engineers and scientists have not only proven them wrong, they’ve delivered a product, which can turn the grow-
ing supply of waste electronics into the next generation of sustainable consumer products.’
Paul Mayhew.
MICROSOFT BACKS INTELLIGENT SORTING PIO-
NEER AMP ROBOTICS
Sorting specialist AMP Robotics has received financing from
Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund to bring total invest-
ment in the company to more than US$ 99 million (EUR 91
million).
AMP’s smart sorting solution successfully identified nearly 75 bil-
lion objects in 2022, reports company ceo Matanya Horowitz. The
new round of funding allows his team to scale up operations,
including deploying solutions to retrofit existing recycling infra-
structure and expanding new infrastructure based on its applica-
tion automation powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
The US tech provider recently unveiled AMP Cortex-C, a compact
AI-enabled sortation solution, along with an integrated, stand-
alone offering for waste management companies. These develop-
ments follow the launch of AMP Vortex to tackle film contamina-
tion and improve the recovery of film and flexible packaging.
‘We’ve been fortunate to attract world-class investors based on
the proven viability of our AI platform as a category-defining tech-
nology application for the waste industry,’ says Horowitz. ‘With its
deep expertise and innovation in AI, Microsoft brings an
unmatched perspective to our work here at AMP.’
Investment in AI and robotics technologies reflects growing
demand for automation in the recycling industry, adds Microsoft’s
spokesperson Brandon Middaugh. ‘There’s an urgent need for
solutions and ongoing innovation to address our critical waste cri-
sis. AMP provides a powerful and scalable application of
AI-enabled automation to help meet the world’s imperative cli-
mate objectives by extending the circular economy.’
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