Page 40 from: Recycling International November/December issue 2024
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A U T H O R S Kirstin Linnenkoper, Martijn Reintjes
Olivier Mbera (Rwanda)
Mbera leads the Enviroserve Green Park
facility, set up by the Rwandan govern-
ment in partnership with a local subsidiary of
Dubai-headquartered electronics recycler
Enviroserve.
Promising recycling practices continue to pop up
across the African continent but Rwanda is way out
in the front, presenting itself as modern and effi-
cient and, above all, Africa’s role model for e-scrap
recycling.
With more than 7% GDP growth year-on-year since
2000, electronics use in the small Central African
nation is projected to hit 300 000 tonnes by 2050.
An exciting future lies ahead for Mbera and fellow
Rwandese recyclers.
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Christian Blackert (Germany)
Md of TSR Recycling, Blackert has been involved in the launch of
the company’s new shredder plant in Duisburg, Germany. Total
investment: EUR 45 million. Completed in just 12 months, the plant can
process up to 450 000
tonnes of materials per year,
transforming them into a
‘high quality’ recycled prod-
uct.
The decision to build the
facility was made after TSR
Recycling developed an
innovative system to deliver
TSR40 – a certified, recycled
product that reduces CO2
emissions and cuts consump-
tion of virgin raw materials
and energy when used to
manufacture steel.
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Leopoldo Clemente (Italy)
Clemente is the founder and ceo of
Italian firm LCD Group, based in Milan.
The group consists of a metals scrap consultancy, a
foundation to teach youngsters valuable skills, a
branch dealing in recycling equipment and a rather
novel venture that showcases the beauty of scrap
through art. Clemente is also an active member of
the BIR non-ferrous division and the organisation’s
Italy & Africa ambassador. For him, recycling is a
way of life. ‘Sustainability is the only way to safe-
guard the future of our planet.’
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Murat Bayram (Germany)
The scrap trader and storyteller from Hamburg (Bayram is direc-
tor for non-ferrous at EMR) remains an inspiring speaker at con-
ferences. He is always happy to share his views on the industry’s ups and
downs. People enjoy his
style of presentation:
open, enthusiastic and
witty. Speaking at the
10th anniversary congress
of the European recycling
industries’ federation
EuRIC in September,
Bayram lashed out fiercely
at EU policy makers,
blaming them for making
regulations more complex
rather than less – and
therefore unworkable for
recyclers.
Caroline van der Perre
(Belgium)
Van der Perre is the managing director
of Belgian firm Raff Plastics, based in Houthulst.
The seasoned plastics recycler is part of the sec-
ond generation at her family owned company,
founded by her parents in 1975. Van der Perre is
eager to pull out all the stops to ensure the busi-
ness, which processes around 70 000 tonnes of
plastics each year, continues to thrive. This
includes recording podcasts about industry hot
topics, speaking her mind at conferences, and
inviting policy makers to tour the facility. This
October, she welcomed a delegation from the
European Commission at Raff Plastics to showcase
a recycling line for rigid PVC and flexible plastics.
Van der Perre launched a dedicated big bag recy-
cling scheme two years ago and is proud her team
recycles 10 000 tonnes of bags every year.
Lim Teck Siang (Singapore)
Lim operates a metals and wood
recycling company, the Kim Hock
Corporation, which is claimed to have
Singapore’s only mega shredder, a 4 000 tonne
HP Harris machine. The most interesting part of
the company’s operations is a biowaste plant
that provides energy for the recycling machines,
material handlers and electricity in the office
building. A constant inflow of green waste from
gardens, parks and trees in the tropical island
state is used to heat the incinerator. Lim, who
has a technical background and education,
developed the plant himself.
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Shelley Padnos (USA)
Padnos has been a well-known name in
the American scrap business for almost
four decades. Her family company, based in
Holland, Michigan, first opened its doors in 1984
and she is proud it now spans four generations.
‘We have 20 locations where we treat metals,
paper, plastics and e-scrap and operate 13 recy-
cling centres throughout Michigan where the pub-
lic and small businesses can recycle their scrap,
including used electronics, for quick payment.’
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