Vac-Flex Recycling Pack

Vac-Flex 回收包

• 批准号: 10075879
• 金额: $ 3.28万
• 依托单位: SHEEPHILL ORCHARD LTD
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Collaborative R&D
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10075879
• 关键词: Vac; Flex; Recycling; Pack

The Vac-Flex project aim is to assess the feasibility of a reusable vacuum pack collection method for flexible plastic packaging waste from UK households.Flexible plastic packaging will be separated and collected by households into a dedicated container that stores and can also temporarily compress the waste to reduce the volume it takes for storage and transportation prior to individual deposits at supermarkets or similar recycling facilities, or in preparation for kerbside collection.The space saving advantage from the vacuum pack method will make it easier, more convenient and appealing for households to separate and collect the flexible plastic packaging waste for recycling and more efficient, space and cost wise, for recyclers to collect and transport the materials for further sorting and treatment at suitable material processing facilities.To facilitate this collection and recycling process, the lock & release vacuum container will be transportable and replaceable where full containers are replenished by empty containers at the point of collection and once full containers have been transported to a processing facility where they are emptied, they could be cleaned, tested, and returned to a collection point or waste collector to be passed back onto households for re-filling.The advantages and incentives for households to separate and collect the flexible plastic packaging waste are that doing so with the vacuum pack container will reduce the space the waste takes up in their home but also within their other waste streams and collection methods such as kitchen bins, plastic bags, bulky containers or wheelie bins.Having a dedicated collection method for these currently difficult to collect and recycle forms of flexible plastic packaging waste will also encourage households to engage with the recycling process and enable the circulation and reuse of valuable materials that would otherwise be wasted and require replacing with virgin materials by the packaging industry and therefore would also add to commercial incentives to support the recycling scheme.Although this project will only test the feasibility of the concept on a small scale with user trials and industry feedback to review and refine a possible solution, the potential material, cost and environmental savings both directly from the circulation of existing materials and indirectly from the saving to extract and process raw materials, would be more significant at the scale that this project could unlock, though further trails at a local level and much more significant at a national level.

Vac-Flex项目的目的是评估可重复使用的真空包装收集方法的可行性，从英国家庭的软性塑料包装废物。软性塑料包装将由家庭分类收集到一个专用容器中，用于储存和暂时压缩废物，以减少储存和运输所需的体积，然后将其存放在超市或类似的回收设施中，或为路边收集做准备。真空包装法具有节省空间的优点，可使住户更容易、更方便和更有吸引力地将软性塑料包装废物分类和收集以供循环再造，而回收商则可更有效率、更节省空间和更节省成本地收集和运送物料，以便在合适的物料处理设施进行进一步分类和处理。为了方便这种收集和回收过程，锁放真空容器将是可运输和可更换的，在收集点用空容器补充完整的容器，一旦完整的容器被运输到处理设施，在那里它们被清空，它们可以被清洁、测试，并返回到收集点或废物收集器，然后传递给家庭进行重新填充。家庭分类和收集软性塑料包装废物的好处和动机是，使用真空包装容器可以减少废物在家中的空间，也可以减少其他废物流和收集方法（如厨房垃圾箱、塑料袋、大容器或轮式垃圾箱）所占的空间。为这些目前难以收集和回收的软性塑料包装废弃物制定专门的收集方法，还将鼓励家庭参与回收过程，并使有价值的材料得以流通和再利用，否则这些材料将被浪费，并需要包装行业用原始材料替代，因此也将增加支持回收计划的商业激励。虽然这个项目只会在小范围内测试这个概念的可行性，通过用户试验和行业反馈来审查和完善一个可能的解决方案，但在这个项目可以释放的规模上，直接从现有材料的流通中节省的潜在材料、成本和环境节约，以及间接从原材料的提取和加工中节省的成本，将更加重要。虽然在地方层面有进一步的进展，在国家层面则更为显著。