PREVENTING CONTAMINATION MAXIMIZES VALUE
The Challenge: An automotive parts manufacturer had limited storage space for plastic scrap and regrind. Employees mixed incompatible items together causing contamination that resulted in decreased revenues.
The Solution: Maine Plastics supplied dropped trailers to store materials and free up floor space. Color-coded containers defined different storage options, eliminating contamination from mixing.
The Benefits: The supplier tripled its scrap revenue and reduced landfill utilization, and was able to comply with ISO 14001 standards.
SEPARATION TECHNOLOGY BOOSTS RECYCLABLE MATERIAL STREAM
The Challenge: An automotive supplier was landfilling parts that included multiple plastics and a metal insert.
The Solution: Maine Plastics developed fixtures to allow efficient removal of the metal. Utilizing separation technology, the mixed plastics were separated and marketed successfully.
The Benefits: The material stream is now recycled, producing revenue for the supplier. Landfill costs have been avoided.
SECURE DESTRUCTION & PROCESSING AVOIDS LANDFILLING
The Challenge: A supplier required materials to be inventoried and secured, with destruction guaranteed within five working days.
The Solution: Maine Plastics built a secure area to store the materials until processing. A separate inventory system was developed to account for every pound of material. The production schedule was organized to meet the processing requirement.
The Benefit: The supplier’s requirements were met, allowing it to recycle the materials instead of landfilling them.
MARKETS CREATED FOR CHALLENGING MATERIAL
The Challenge: A large food packager was discarding a laminated sheet made up of multiple plastics and metal.
The Solution: Maine Plastics developed a market for the material, which included guaranteed destruction of the product as well as obliteration of the supplier’s logo. The program was then expanded to include other challenging items from the supplier.
The Benefits: The supplier received revenue from materials it had been sending to a landfill and paying to discard.