Page 75 from: Recycling International May/June issue 2023
BUSINESS
75recyclinginternational.com | May/June | 2023
Sabine Berendse.
MORE TURTLES, LESS PLASTIC
Reflecting on recycling practices in the Caribbean,
Sabine Berendse (32), ceo of Green Phenix, says: ‘I see
positive developments but there is still a lot of litter, and
landfilling is the main waste management strategy.
Generally, sustainability related topics remain complicat-
ed for island states.’
She hopes to bring about change with her company
which was founded in 2018 to support sea turtle conser-
vation efforts on Curacao by reducing plastic pollution in
the marine environment. Following several successful
beach clean-up projects, Berendse suddenly had a lot of
material on her hands. She was convinced it could be put
to good use, envisioning a circular system for post-con-
sumer plastics.
‘Our operations started in my back yard with two extrud-
ers, two 3D printers and a powder grinder, Berendse
recalls. ‘Twelve people joined us as part of an education-
al programme and together we started to collect plastic
waste bottles and process them into flakes.’
In 2020, her team moved to a new location in Zeelandia,
allowing Green Phenix to scale up to 24 workers. ‘We
focus on collecting as much plastic waste as possible,
sorting, cleaning and creating single material flakes
which we use to produce new items such Precious Plastic
building bricks and 3D printed items,’ Berendse explains.
She laments that every island in the region is dealing with
a mountain of plastic waste, mostly PET, HDPE and PP.
‘Low prices on the market and high transportation costs
are challenging and therefore local solutions are impor-
tant.’
Green Phenix is currently collaborating on one the 45
projects within the the EU-funded RESEMBID consor-
tium. With a total budget of almost EUR 23 million, the
endeavour targets bio-diversity, eco resilience and sus-
tainable energy in the Caribbean.
‘Beyond that, I hope to launch an initiative next year
called the Recycling Maker Space. It will serve as a melt-
ing pot for local artists who will have machines and mate-
rial at their disposal to create anything they want. The
idea is to promote both circularity and social inclusion.’
Sean Daoud.
DEDICATION IN THE US NORTHWEST
Markets may be ‘a bit slow’ and scrap prices should be
‘a little higher’ but that’s about all the complaint you’ll
hear from recycler Sean Daoud, an energetic young
man from Portland, Oregon. Daoud (33) is second
generation recycler. He is vice-president, treasurer and
shareholder of family business PNW Metal Recycling
which has facilities at eight locations in Oregon and
Washington state.
During the past five years or so, the company has grown
rapidly and continues to do so. ‘We’ve recently added
two locations to the group with more acquisitions under-
way,’ says Daoud, who believes that running a successful
business like PNW is never about the owner or the gen-
eral manager alone.
‘PNW’s success and growth is built on the support and
hard work of each and every employee. We have 170 and
if you don’t get everyone on the same page you cannot
be successful.’
Daoud’s efforts and involvement in the scrap sector reach
far beyond his own business. That’s why the US Institute
of Scrap Recycling Industries named him as its 2023
Young Executive of the Year, praising the entrepreneur as
someone ‘who always puts the industry first in his leader-
ship and professional decisions’.
and also leading the marketing
department. It all goes hand-in-hand,
really.’ She argues: ‘It’s important to
keep learning. That’s why I never say:
“Oh, that’s not my job”. I prefer look-
ing at it from the perspective of what I
can do to make things work better.
For me, that leads to natural growth.’
Speaking of new projects, Thomas is
promoting a campaign on battery
safety due to concerns over discarded
vapes. They pose a new headache for
the sector as consumers tend to put
them into the general waste. ‘We’ve
had several fires in the UK caused by
car batteries and now MRFs are telling
us that vapes are commonly sighted in
the mixed waste. It’s only a matter of
time before they set off the next
alarm. We’re always looking for new
problem items to recycle.’
Recorra started off as a charity in
1988, funded by Friends of the Earth.
‘Sustainability is our lifeblood and
flows through everything we do.
We’re not in recycling because it’s
cool or to impress customers.’
Thomas understands the power of
social media to reach a wider audi-
ence. ‘I’ve assembled a team within
the organisation to promote our vid-
eos and infographics. They have a big
and active network on LinkedIn and
Instagram we’re now putting to good
use. We’ve even started a TikTok
channel. It’s a bit of an adventure but
we’ve really got the ball rolling in
terms of engagement.’
She acknowledges that recycling can
be a ‘kind of dry’ topic. ‘The challenge
is making it matter to people and
expanding your reach to get new cli-
ents on board. That’s why I’m working
on making our sector more relatable
and making content easy to share.
‘You can be a leader in the industry
but, if no one knows what you’re up
to, you’re holding yourself back.
Recyclers have to get used to being
their own cheerleaders.’
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