How We Work
From bin to bale - our proven 5-step process turns plastic waste into valuable resources
Our Recycling Process
Quality-controlled operations ensuring maximum material recovery and purity
Every piece of plastic that enters our Piltdown facility follows a carefully managed path from collection to final product. Our integrated approach ensures full traceability, regulatory compliance, and consistent quality output.
Collection
Our professional drivers arrive at your site with clean, well-maintained vehicles. They collect your segregated plastic waste, weigh the load using calibrated equipment, and issue an official waste transfer note for your records.
Documentation Provided:
- Waste transfer note with material description
- Collection receipt with weight confirmation
- Driver identification and vehicle registration
- Next collection schedule (for regular customers)
Collection times: Monday-Friday 07:30-15:00. Emergency collections available by arrangement.
Weigh & Sort
Upon arrival at our Piltdown facility, materials are weighed again using our automated weighbridge system. Our trained workers then begin hand-sorting to remove contaminants and separate plastics by polymer type and colour grade.
Sorting Categories:
- PET bottles (clear, green, blue)
- HDPE containers (natural, coloured)
- PP packaging (rigid, film)
- LDPE film and bags
- Mixed rigid plastics
- Contaminated materials for cleaning
Process
Sorted plastics enter our processing line where they are either baled for direct sale or processed into flake and regrind. Our shredding, washing, and granulation equipment operates in a closed-loop water system to minimise environmental impact.
Processing Options:
- Baling: Clean, sorted materials compressed into 250kg bales
- Shredding: Size reduction to 8-12mm flake
- Hot Washing: Removal of labels, adhesives, and residue
- Density Separation: Float/sink tanks for multi-layer materials
- Granulation: Final size reduction to customer specification
All wash water is treated and recycled on-site. No process water leaves our facility.
Quality Check
Every batch undergoes rigorous quality control testing before leaving our facility. We maintain detailed records of contamination levels, polymer purity, and processing parameters to ensure consistent product quality.
Quality Tests Include:
- Visual contamination assessment
- Melt flow index testing (where applicable)
- Moisture content analysis
- Colour consistency evaluation
- Foreign material quantification (target: <2%)
- Traceability documentation review
Materials that don't meet our quality standards are reprocessed or diverted to appropriate lower-grade applications.
Dispatch
Quality-approved materials are carefully loaded using our covered loading bays and dispatched to UK manufacturers. Each shipment includes comprehensive documentation for customer quality assurance and regulatory compliance.
Dispatch Documentation:
- Delivery note with material specification
- Quality certificate with test results
- Material safety data sheet (MSDS)
- Processing recommendations
- Traceability report showing source collection
Delivery Schedule: Standard deliveries Monday-Thursday. Express deliveries available for urgent orders. All vehicles are covered to protect materials from weather contamination.
Quality Standards & Certifications
Rigorous standards ensure our recycled materials meet industry requirements
Industry Compliance
All our processed materials meet relevant British Standards and European regulations for recycled plastic content. We maintain comprehensive quality management systems and undergo regular third-party audits.
Certifications & Standards:
- Environment Agency Waste Treatment Permit
- BS EN 15343:2007 - Plastics Recycling Traceability
- REACH Regulation Compliance
- ISO 9001 Quality Management (in progress)
- Food contact approval (for relevant PET grades)
Typical Quality Metrics:
- Foreign material content: <2%
- Moisture content: <0.5%
- Metal contamination: <50 ppm
- Colour consistency: ±2 ΔE units
Environmental Impact
Every tonne recycled reduces environmental impact and conserves natural resources
"Their transparency in the recycling process gives us complete confidence in our waste management. The detailed traceability documentation they provide is essential for our environmental reporting and sustainability commitments."