Upcycling

Exporting recycled plastics requires a lot of extra energy, leading to a higher ecological footprint than necessary. 

Waste companies, in charge of recycling, no longer promote themselves as waste processors. They are evolving from waste services providers into suppliers of raw materials and expertise. Their increasing involvement in the product design phase is the key to success.

A plan for a ‘materials roundabout’ in the Netherlands proposed by the Dutch parliament enjoys widespread support, increasing the recycling rate of materials and boosting sustainable economic growth. The Netherlands has the necessary infrastructure to make materials chains more sustainable.

In the Netherlands, by law, plastic producers keep ownership and responsibility of consumer plastics, after sales. They pay local communities to clean up and recycle the plastics for them. The Dutch government has further helped the success of the plastic recycling industry by setting a target for recycling of 42%.

There has been some criticism on the effectiveness of plastic sorting and recycling. Most of the plastic in the Netherlands is still being exported and therefore is sorted twice. It also leaves a rest fraction. This requires a lot of extra energy, leading to a higher ecological footprint than necessary. This is even worse in other European countries.

Van Maren Systems is different from competitors by aiming at lowering this ecological footprint by integrating sorting, preparing and manufacturing plastic in one location. They are also distinctive by upcycling the difficult mixed post consumer waste stream for high quality applications.