Closing the Plastics Cycle – A Review of Current Best Practice around the Whole Cycle

Name: Closing the Plastics Cycle – A Review of Current Best Practice around the Whole Cycle
Start: 2019-07-02T08:30:00
Location: Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London

02 July 2019
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This event will bring together engineers, scientists and other professionals from the industry, all who are wanting to make a real difference when it comes to plastic waste.

Booking multiple tickets (group discounts available) or on behalf of someone else? Email us

Overview

“Plastic is durable, easily molded, light, hygienic and eminently recyclable. Yet when not recycled its first property becomes a liability to humans, animals and the environment. Engineers play a key role all around the plastic cycle; this seminar is intended to share best practice, current challenges both technical and non-technical and enhance the engineers contribution to society in this field.”
Rodney Gilmour, Chair, Closing the Plastics Cycle 2019

Do you stop and think about the plastic waste when you are drinking a fizzy drink or eating a bag of crisps? Our environment was not made to manage plastic waste; it is a man-made product for which we must take responsibility; it is simply not acceptable to chuck it into a landfill or the sea. There is good news, in the UK we recover 85% of our HDPE milk bottles, but then what? Would it be better overall to incinerate all our waste and recover the energy? Or pyrolyse waste plastic to fuel?

The plastics industry is set for a revolution. Taking a Circular Economy approach, the plastics industry is set to review how plastic products can be re-used in different forms, giving products a greater life expectancy. From a plastic product’s design, through to its manufacturing and then recyclability a Circular Economy will ensure that all plastics are as recyclable as possible and if not that they are managed in the most appropriate and efficient way.

The purpose of this seminar is to review current practice, with case studies from players around the whole cycle. The programme will highlight what is going well and what is not. Questions will be considered such as should waste be incinerated for energy recovery or recycled (or from a purely carbon mitigation viewpoint somehow be landfilled). The event will also discuss how are engineers contributing and what technical challenges are still extant.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers' Closing the Plastics Cycle event will:

Deliver greater awareness around the whole plastics cycle
Showcase the latest solutions that are helping to manage plastics waste in the UK
Offer updates from industry as they seek to support the Circular Economy
Help educate those involved in the plastics cycle to consider stronger prevention methods

Seminar topics include:

The Circular Economy
Eco-design of plastics products
Prevention rather than management
Re-use strategies

Programme highlights include:

The British Plastics Federation highlight what they are doing to support plastic waste reduction and how stakeholders are reducing waste cycles through the implementation of new technologies
WRAP discuss their roadmap to transform the way that the UK makes, uses and disposes of plastic including elimination of problematic single-use plastics by 2025
Recycling Technologies provide an overview of Project Lodestar and how it is creating a pathway to recycle all plastics by combining state-of-the-art mechanical and feedstock recycling
London Waste and Recycling Board share details about their Advance London programme which is helping SMEs to become more circular or scale up an already circular business
Storm Board LLP reveal how they create value from mixed plastic waste and how their patented technology and manufacturing process creates boards from 100% recycled material which are recyclable after use
SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK shed light on policy evolution and the implications this will have for companies including Extended Producer Responsibility and taxes and levies to be paid
The University of Nottingham and Clean Rivers Trust discuss their research and collaboration relating to plastic waste in environment
Axion discuss the circular economy in action with insight on PVC and automotive waste challenges

Confirmed speakers include:

Barry Turner, Plastics and Flexible Packaging, Group Director, British Plastics Federation
Helen Bird, Strategic Engagement Manager, WRAP
Sarah Ottaway, Municipal Recycling Manager, SUEZ Recycling & Recovery UK
Richard McKinlay, Head of Circular Economy, Axion
Dale Rautenbach, Systems Engineer, Recycling Technologies
Dr Matt Johnson, Lecturer, Physical Geography, University of Nottingham
Dr Harvey Wood, Director, Clean Rivers Trust
Tom Stanton, PhD Researcher, University of Nottingham

Organising Committee:

Oil, Gas and Chemical Committee, Process Industries Division

Member Credit:

Rodney Gilmour, Oil, Gas and Chemical Committee, Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Booking multiple tickets (group discounts available) or on behalf of someone else? Email us

Accommodation information

For hotels with preferential rates close to the event venue, please visit www.eventay.co.uk/Eventsv5/Evnt_Home.aspx?evnt=8488ME

Day 1

08:30 - Seminar Programme

	TUESDAY, 2 JULY 2019
08:30	REGISTRATION AND REFRESHMENTS
09:00	CHAIR’S OPENING REMARKS Rodney Gilmour, Oil, Gas and Chemical Committee, Institution of Mechanical Engineers
09:10 MORNING KEYNOTE	LET’S SET THE PLASTICS SCENE – WHAT IS ACTUALLY GOING ON Barry Turner, Plastics and Flexible Packaging, Group Director, British Plastics Foundation An insight into BPF’s role in supporting plastic waste reduction An overview of ‘Eco-design’ and what it means for the future of plastics How stakeholders are helping to reduce waste cycles through the implementation of new technologies
	INDUSTRY CASE STUDIES
09:45	CASE STUDY: RECYCLING OF PVC BUILDING MATERIALS INCLUDING WINDOWS AND FLOORING Richard McKinlay, Head of Circular Economy, Axion
10:15	STORM BOARD - CREATING VALUE FROM MIXED PLASTIC WASTE Nick Stillwell, Managing Director, Storm Board LLP The boards are made from 100% recycled material and are recyclable after use Patented technology and manufacturing process UK technology making boards from UK waste
10:45	NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK
11:15	THE POLICY EVOLUTION – WHAT’S ON THE PLASTICS HORIZON Sarah Ottaway, Municipal Recycling Manager, SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) and what this means for companies How to get the right materials into the UK marketplace Taxes – the 101 on what companies may have to pay in taxes and levies
11:45 PANEL DISCUSSION	PREVENTION RATHER THAN MANAGEMENT Peter Jones OBE, Advisor, Recycling Technologies Further panellists to be announced Should the attitude towards plastic waste shift from management to prevention What can be done in the design phases of plastic products to prevent waste Can engineers help shift this mind-set of prevention rather than management?
12:45	NETWORKING LUNCH
	CURRENT MEASURES AND PROJECTS
13:45 AFTERNOON KEYNOTE	THE ROADMAP TO 2025 - THE PLASTICS PACT Helen Bird, Senior Engagement Manager, WRAP An overview of the roadmap; framework, targets and members Eliminating problematic single-use plastics New approaches to recycling and how everyone can and should get involved
14:20	DRIVING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY ACROSS LONDON Antony Buchan, Head of Resource London Programme, London Waste and Recycling Board Natalia Agathou, Business Advice Manager – Advance London Programme, London Waste and Recycling Board Plastics recycling in London – the real picture of what boroughs collect, how it’s processed and what happens to it An insight into issues relating to markets (China’s recent banning of import plastic recyclate, for instance) and policy impacts (e.g. Brexit, government and Mayoral strategy etc.); Our Advance London programme and how we are working with SMEs to either help them become more circular or scale up an already circular business
14:50	PROJECT LODESTAR - THE FUTURE OF PLASTIC RECYCLING Dale Rautenbach, Systems Engineer, Recycling Technologies An overview of Project Lodestar and the RT7000 design Looking at raw materials and their sources for the project Putting back into the plastics cycle
15:20	NETWORKING REFRESHMENT BREAK
15:50	PLASTICS IN THE ENVIRONMENT Dr Matt Johnson, Lecturer, Physical Geography, University of Nottingham Tom Stanton, PhD Researcher, University of Nottingham Dr Harvey Wood, Director, Clean Rivers Trust How old is the crisp packet? Plastic waste in our waterways Microfibres and microbeads Plastics (and their sources) in the oceans
16:20	CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN ACTION Richard McKinlay, Head of Circular Economy, Axion An insight into PVC and Automotive waste challenges Current challenges facing the PVC and Automotive industries when it comes to waste Existing solutions and what more can be done
16:50	CHAIR’S CLOSING REMARKS
17:00	END OF SEMINAR

Helen Bird: Strategic Engagement Manager, WRAP

Helen has worked in resource management for over 11 years, and has been at WRAP for 9 years. Helen has always had a passion for sustainability and recycling in particular. Her experience and expertise covers local authority collections, sorting and reprocessing and on-pack recycling information. She oversees The UK Plastics Pact, a whole chain approach to tackling the issue of plastic waste. She leads many of the technical work streams Pact including: eliminating unnecessary/problematic plastics, recyclability and composting, flexibles, recycled content and end markets. Prior to her roles in the field of resource management, Helen held marketing positions in various food and non-food manufacturing companies.

Antony Buchan: Head of Resource London, London Waste and Recycling Board

Antony is Head of the Resource London programme, supporting London waste authorities to deliver significant savings and improve performance. He is a waste management professional with 17+ years’ experience in local, regional and national government and the commercial sector. A member of the negotiating team that created LWARB, Antony has been working for LWARB since its establishment.

Natalia Agathou: Advance London Business Advice Manager, London Waste and Recycling Board

Natalia set-up and manages the London Waste And Recycling Board’s Advance London business support programme. Her team works with 120 London based SMEs to promote circularity and new business models. Prior to LWARB, she worked for 8 years as an Environmental Advisor, specialising in sustainable businesses and green finance in emerging economies. She has worked with a wide range of multisectoral international clients, including Philips, IFCO Systems S.A., Textile Enterprises, IBM, the World Bank, the EU, the UNDP, Water.org and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Dale Rautenbach: Systems Engineer, Recycling Technologies

Dale Rautenbach is a Systems Engineer at Recycling Technologies tasked with optimising the productivity of the core technology and is heavily involved in system design, plant integration, and commissioning, to fulfil Recycling Technologies’ mission of creating value from residual plastic waste.

Prior to joining Recycling Technologies in 2017, Dale was an R&D engineer working for Gold Fields, responsible for the development and implementation of technologies focused on improving efficiency and safety of underground mining. Dale is no stranger to heavy industrial equipment; she has spent countless hours maintaining machinery and redesigning systems to ensure safe mining operations.

Dale received her Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pretoria in 2011. She graduated summa cum laude with an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the MIT School of Engineering in 2017. Dale is naturally curious and continually seeking opportunities to hone her skill set. She enjoys being part of a successful and productive team where she can drive real change and make a lasting impact on the world.

Sarah Ottaway: Municipal Recycling Manager, SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK

Sarah is SUEZ’s Municipal Recycling Manager, and is responsible for the development and delivery of its active programme of service enhancement and innovation. She has been involved in an ever growing list of behaviour change and association operational developments for over 12 years, and is an award winning communicator, project manager and one of the resources and waste industry’s 35 rising stars under the age 35 (just!).

Nick Stillwell: Managing Director, Storm Board LLP

Nick Stillwell is an experienced engineering plastics expert who specialises in making moulds for complex plastic components. For more than 20 years Nick has been involved with designing and building innovative plastic moulds for both extrusion and rotomoulding.

In 2008 Nick turned his mind to designing a machine to make a new type of plastic sheet material out of 100% recycled mixed plastic waste to compete with plywood products. Now he is MD of both Protomax Plastics Ltd which sells factories containing his machines, and MD of Storm Board LLP which operates one of his factories in Frome making the panels on a commercial scale.

Richard McKinlay: Head of Circular Economy, Axion

Richard graduated from The University of Manchester with a master’s degree in Chemical Engineering and is currently Head of Circular Economy at Axion. Richard is responsible for the PVC recycling activities in Axion, including the management of the PVC flooring take back scheme, Recofloor, and is the UK Recovinyl representative. Recovinyl aims to validate the recycling of 800,000 tonnes a year of PVC by 2020.

Dr Matt Johnson: Lecturer, Physical Geography, University of Nottingham

Tom Stanton: PhD Researcher, University of Nottingham

Thomas Stanton is a third year PhD student at the University of Nottingham, co-supervised between the School of Geography and Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering. His thesis has quantified freshwater and atmospheric microplastic and natural fibre abundances across the Trent catchment.

Peter Jones OBE: Advisor, Recycling Technologies

Peter T. Jones OBE has many years’ experience in the waste industry including senior positions with Biffa Group Limited and non-executive Chairman of Waste2Tricity Ltd.

Mr. Jones has given evidence to a range of Parliamentary Select Committees over the years on the subjects of waste, sustainability, resource efficiency and other issues relating to future environmental challenges faced by society. He sits on several Government and capital fund advisory boards as well as being the Mayor of London's special adviser on waste.

Dr Harvey Wood: Director, Clean Rivers Trust

Harvey helped found Clean Rivers Trust in 1990 after working in the environmental sphere for many years with Friends of the Earth, Green Peace, CRPE and CPRW. Over the years he has developed a wide base of knowledge regarding water: with many specialisms including sewage, minewater treatment, wetlands, their creation and renovation. Hydrocarbon +acidic contamination remediation is a current major project area with 5 or 6 sites under consideration and two active phytoremediation schemes underway in Derbyshire.

Barry Turner: Plastics and Flexible Packaging, Group Director, British Plastics Federation

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