Oxfordshire company launches free mobile scheme to reuse waste polythene

The company uses a van with an onboard compactor

A company has started a free, mobile scheme to collect and squash waste plastic - meaning it can be reused.

Oxfordshire-based packaging company Polythene UK uses a van with an onboard compactor to collect, squash and squeeze the polythene.

It is then used in rolls of "new" plastic wrapping the company sells.

Polythene is an essential part of packaging - but is often bulky waste which can only be thrown in the rubbish.

Similar collection and recycling schemes already work with paper.

James Woollard is managing director of Polythene UK

James Woollard, managing director of Polythene UK, said: "As a waste product it's just an inconvenience, but it's 100% recyclable. It's so recyclable, it's untrue. So it's very frustrating to know that 800,000 tons a year approximately is going to landfill or incineration."

"What we need is this stuff back, recycle it, back into the chain, back to me, back to the customer, back to me, back to the customer, back to me," he said.

Larger companies already carry out similar projects, but Mr Woollard said it was "your average manufacturing business, your small shops, that's where 90% of the waste polythene I need is", adding "we just can't get it from them to us - until now".

The plastic is bailed onboard the van

One shop signed up to the new scheme is Spar in Minster Lovell, near Witney.

Store director Ian Lewis said they have around six deliveries a week, which produce an "amazing" and "enormous" amount of waste.

He praised the new polyethene scheme, saying: "Whether it's, you know, saving costs, saving energy, but certainly this was really attractive to us, and yeah, I think it's going to really really benefit both of us, and the environment."

Ian Lewis's Spar store in Minister Lovell is signed up to the scheme

On demand for the new project, Mr Woollard said: "People don't want to see the waste polythene going for incineration, and they're paying for someone to pick it up to take it for incineration - so we're inundated with people.

"This is the start of the journey, where this will go we don't know, but it's so exciting to be involved in."

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