43recyclinginternational.com | November/December | 2022
PLASTICS SPECIAL
technology can make a difference all
over the world and I am confident it
will. Kreyenborg is keeping its eyes
open to new markets and partners.’
OPEN SOURCE INSPIRATION
‘Given the demand for plastic prod-
ucts, the recycling industry is becom-
ing ever more important,’ says
Raphael Oesterling, communications
manager at shredding and compact-
ing specialist Weima. ‘This is especial-
ly true for recyclers starting up their
business in developing countries,
notably in Africa.’
That’s why Weima is collaborating
with the Dutch non-profit organisation
Precious Plastics to roll out recycling
solutions at a local level. ‘We’ve creat-
ed a small manual shredder that peo-
ple can operate by simply pulling a
lever,’ Oesterling explains while dem-
onstrating how it works. ‘The flakes
come out below and can be used to
create recycled products via our injec-
tion moulding machine. As you can
see, it doesn’t take much strength or
effort. Anyone can do this.’
The resulting products include infra-
structure materials such as modular
bricks, that resemble Lego, to create
homes and fences. They are robust,
yet hollow, which means they can be
filled with sand or other materials to
fortify the structure.
‘Our aim is to encourage recycling as
much as possible so we’re not making
any money on this collaboration,’
Oesterling says. ‘We’ve donated the
blueprint for the equipment to
Precious Plastic’s network for free.
This allows anyone to download it and
build their own recycling system,
using simple tools they can order
online.’
Of course, Weima is eager to expand
its portfolio. This year, it exhibited
two new plastic shredders with single-
shaft technology: the revised W5.
18 universal machine and the WLK
1000 with its innovative FineCut rotor
for secondary shredding. The third
innovation is Weima’s new Puehler
C.200 press which allows fine particles
to be dewatered and compacted in a
single step following the washing pro-
cess.
LIQUID GOLD?
‘It’s incredible to see how much has
changed in just a few years,’ says
Andreas Jäger, global sales manager at
Steinert. ‘Chemical recycling was but a
blip on the radar at the 2019 edition of
the K Show. Now look around – chemi-
cal recycling is everywhere.’
Market data backs up his observation.
UK-based research firm IDTechEx fore-
casts that pyrolysis and depolymerisa-
tion plants will recycle over 20 million
tonnes of plastic scrap per year by
2033.
Amongst the innovators exhibiting at
the K Show was Carboliq. The German
Fotobijschrift
KADERKOP
??
Steinert: ‘All recyclers need sorting equipment, no matter what they do with their scrap
in the end.’
Raphael Oesterling: ‘Weima has donated the blueprint of small-scale equipment to
Precious Plastic so communities in Africa can take recycling into their own hands.’
42-43-44-45_plasticssp_k-show.indd 43 09-11-2022 15:30
