Page 46 - Plastics News September 2024
P. 46
FEATURE NEWS
are now designing products with their entire life- The manufacturing industry works with many
cycle in mind. This involves considering the ease other sectors, meaning that some of the waste
of disassembly, the recyclability of materials, produced can be classified as hazardous.
and the potential for components to be reused. Whether waste is hazardous or non-hazardous
For instance, companies in the electronics indus- is covered by the European Sustainability Re-
try are developing modular products that can be porting Standard, but often refers to materials
easily upgraded or repaired, thereby extending that are a threat to the health of humans and the
their lifespan and reducing the volume of elec- environment.
tronic waste.
Scott Hawthorne stressed the importance of
The food waste crisis hazardous waste as an area that manufactur-
ing must focus efforts to improve: “Within the
While manufacturing as a sector is most closely manufacturing industry, you’re working with a
associated with materials such as plastic, scrap multitude of sectors that can range from expired
metal, plaster, and chemicals, it’s estimated that medication and needles from the medical sector
more than two-thirds of manufacturing waste to industrial solvents and asbestos. Not only can
comes from biological sources. One of these is these contribute significantly to landfills, but the
food waste, with the UK being one of the largest damage they can do to the human body and the
offenders, with more than 6.4 million tonnes of environment should be a reason enough for the
edible food being thrown away annually.
sector to keep on top of the waste produced.
Finding solutions for manufacturers to reduce “Prioritising the safe handling and disposal of
food waste is crucial to reducing the amount this waste will be a huge factor in the future of
of waste. One method that’s been researched the sector and something that will constantly de-
and confirmed for its viability is anaerobic di- velop. This could be through emerging tech that
gestion, which involves collecting and transfer- helps to identify materials that are dangerous to
ring the waste into a tank deprived of oxygen, human and environmental health, or auditing the
breaking it down with microorganisms. Biogas is sectors your business works with to mitigate the
produced and can be converted into electricity amount of harmful materials produced.”
generation. With 1.3 million tonnes of food waste
broken down annually, it’s capable of powering The manufacturing sector is undergoing a signif-
200,000 homes throughout the UK. icant transformation as it tackles the challenge
of waste. Regulatory and consumer pressures
By prioritising sending food waste to digestion further reinforce the importance of these ef-
plants and working to create a more circular forts, making waste reduction not just an envi-
economy within the supply chain, it can not only ronmental imperative but a business necessity.
reduce physical waste but also help to reduce As these trends continue to evolve, the manu-
the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, pro- facturing industry has the potential to become
tect the environment’s biodiversity, and require a leader in sustainability, setting an example for
much less energy for production.
other sectors to follow.
The dangers of handling and disposing of haz- Source – Recycling Magazine
ardous waste
46 48 PL September 2024
PLASTICS NEWSASTICS NEWS
September 2024
