Page 58 from: Recycling International July issue | 2022 + TOP 100!

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A U T H O R S Kirstin Linnenkoper, Martijn Reintjes

Pascal Leroy (Belgium)
Leroy has overseen operations of the WEEE Forum since 2007.
Besides writing papers on e-scrap and battery recycling, he has

also supervised the innovative research and development Weelabex project,
funded from the EU’s Life programme. Leroy’s efforts have been mainly
geared towards fostering understanding between the many different stake-
holders in the recycling sector, creating a European standard of excellence
for e-scrap recycling and promoting extended producer responsibility
schemes. He believes that blockchain technology will ‘push the boundaries’
of electronics recycling.

Rosemary Sutton (Canada)
Sutton was appointed executive director at Tire Stewardship
British Columbia nearly ten years ago. Under her leadership the

organisation, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has vastly
improved tyre recycling schemes. Sutton reports that more than 100 million
end-of-life tyres have been recycled in British Columbia since the steward-
ship’s operations began. ‘Today, more than five million scrap tyres are recy-
cled every year into new, durable, and environmentally friendly products,
re-purposed within the province,’ she says.

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George
Voyatzis
(Greece)

Voyatzis is general manager at
Anamet Recycling, based near
Athens. He is always happy to
share insights on how scrap
markets work. Business is good
at Anamet but concerns and
challenges lie ahead. ‘First, reg-
ulatory requirements arising
from the waste status of metal
scrap make handling increasing-
ly complicated. Secondly, soar-
ing energy costs have resulted
in higher production and trans-
portation costs. Thirdly, the dis-
rupted supply chain around the
world remains a challenge.’
Surviving in this business is a
daily struggle, says Voyatzis.
‘According to Darwinism, survi-
vors are not necessarily the
strongest but they are those
who can adapt successfully to
an ever-changing world.’

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Lisa
O’Donoghue
(Ireland)

This widely published
researcher is taking on liq-
uid crystal displays (LCDs)
with her company
Votechnik. ‘Around 200 mil-
lion TVs and 120 million
computer monitors are sold
globally every year,’
O’Donoghue points out.
‘That’s why I want to create
automated plants to dis-
mantle and depollute
flatscreens.’ Her solution,
the ALR4000 system, can
currently process more than
60 LCD, LED and PC moni-
tors per hour.
O’Donoghue’s company is
a spin-off inspired by her
work as a materials scientist
at the University of
Limerick. Votechnik cele-
brated its tenth anniversary
last year.

Thomas Holberg (Germany)
Holberg leads battery recycling initiatives at TES. The company
uses proprietary in-house technology to recover nickel, lithium

and cobalt from car batteries. In his position as global vice president battery
solutions, he is closely involved with the new site being built in Rotterdam,
the Netherlands. Holberg proudly states the facility will have the capacity to
treat 10 000 tonnes of battery metals per annum once it opens in late 2022.

Carlos Ludlow-Palafox (UK/Mexico)
Mexican entrepreneur Ludlow-Palafox is determined to boost the recovery of laminated packaging through
chemical recycling and is on the path to achieving a lifetime goal to take his patented technology back home.

Until a recent deal with Nestle, Greenback Recycling and Ludlow-Palafox’s company Enval, Mexico had none of the extend-
ed producer responsibility schemes seen in western Europe. My personal mission is to make Enval a commercial success
and, through Enval, to show that pyrolysis is a waste management solution but not the waste management solution.’

Carmen Ene (Finland)
Ene is a firm believer in the digital transformation of the recycling
sector. She describes electronics as a ‘sustainable business asset’

but one that must be activated. In her role as the ceo of e-scrap consultancy
platform 3stepIT, Ene helps businesses deal with IT equipment more sustain-
ably. She also leads a joint venture with BNP Paribas described as ‘an alli-
ance promoting our technology lifecycle management solutions across
Europe’. She believes recyclers want to do better but don’t always know
where to begin. ‘After all, you cannot manage what you cannot measure.’

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