Coolrec Plastics Compounding refines plastic pellets in Emmen

Coolrec, a subsidiary of Van Gansewinkel, is today opening its new Coolrec Plastics Compounding plant in Emmen. The WEEE recycler and supplier of high-value secondary raw materials will produce specified plastic pellets at the new plant and these are then supplied directly to manufacturers of consumer goods. The pellets are produced from the process of recycling scrapped electronic appliances that are offered to Coolrec from sources including the Wecycle collection system. The WEEELABEX certified recycler is expected to supply 10,000 tonnes of pellets every year, closing the circular chain of plastics on its own. Coolrec Plastics Compounding is being officially opened in the presence of Jan Vlak, managing director of Wecycle, Bouke Arends, deputy mayor of the Municipality of Emmen and Arjen Wittekoek, director of Coolrec.

The plant in Emmen is of major importance to Coolrec for pushing ahead with completing the circle of plastics recycling. “Coolrec Plastics Compounding is the perfect next step for our operations at Coolrec PHB in Waalwijk”, according to Arjen Wittekoek. "In Waalwijk, all the plastic flows derived from scraped electrical and electronic products are recycled into high-value raw materials. The hard plastic flows of PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PS (polystyrene) and ABS (Acrylonitril-Butadine-Styrene) are cleaned up and reprocessed into pure raw materials here. The raw materials then go to Emmen, where we have the technology to refine the specification of these materials even further, convert them into pellets and finally offer them to manufacturers of consumer goods. These high-value, secondary raw materials have exactly the same properties as primary raw materials but they're considerably more sustainable."

Jan Vlak, managing director of Wecycle, is enthusiastic about the quality of the recycling: "Wecycle stands for quality and reliability. The consumer and our partners in the collection process – local authorities and shopping outlets – can count on the fact that we will recycle collected appliances in the best way possible, for instance at Coolrec. This high-value plastic recycling is a concrete example of how we are collectively contributing to the circular economy."

Investing

Coolrec Plastics Compounding arose from the takeover of Inverko Compounding, marking an important step forward in the plastics chain for the Netherlands' first WEEE recycler. "This investment means that we now own part of the property of what used to be Inverko", adds Wittekoek. "This includes a range of processing lines, silos, a laboratory and R&D facilities. We are also carrying on the work with the existing complement of staff. It goes without saying that we have also added our own specialists to the work process and we continue to focus on future investments at the plant."

High-value recycling

Coolrec ensures high-value recycling of WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and recycles electrical equipment and electronics into high-value plastics, metals and other raw materials. The products from which Coolrec derives its raw materials include screens, fridges, computer equipment and (small) domestic appliances.
Wittekoek comments: "Scrapped equipment consists largely of valuable materials. Using innovative technology, as we do in Emmen, allows us to recover specific materials so that they can then be reused in the manufacture of new products. Our circular thinking and our objective here is, for instance, to supply raw materials from scrapped fridges to produce new ones. Recovering these high-value materials also leads directly to a reduction in CO2, allowing us to support the sustainability objectives of our clients, including Wecycle."