Stuart Kellock, managing director of Label Apeel, has just returned from a research trip to the USA where he was looking at new methods of turning self-adhesive waste into fuel pellets. The Leicester-based company is always keen to lead the way in finding ways of reducing its environmental impact and turning the by-products into a potential revenue stream.
Mr Kellock said, ‘The trip to the States was organised by John Bambery of BPIF labels and it was a massive eye opener that we need to do more in this country to reduce our carbon footprint. We visited Channeled Resources, a rework outfit based in Wisconsin, which takes B grade paper material and rework them so they are usable. This is effectively reducing waste going to landfill simply by sorting and sifting to produce a secondary product. We were able to see how a rigorous checking process meant that Channeled Resources basically take one man’s dirt and turns it in to, if not gold, then certainly the next best thing while having a positive impact on the planet.’
The trip also took in a visit to a recycled material pellet making company owned by the CEO of Channeled Resources, Calvin Frost. Any materials that are unsalvageable by Channeled Resources are taken to this facility, mixed with waste from other packaging suppliers and turned into pellets that can be burned in coal fired boilers as either a mix with the coal or on their own. The end product has a similar calorific value to that of coal, but fewer emissions.
‘Channeled Resources are currently looking to bring this technology to the UK in 2016 and I for one cannot wait,’ Said Mr Kellock. ‘We stopped off at a label printers whose waste goes in to the pellet mill. It was interesting to see their early adoption of lean techniques and also their own paper lamination press which has seen them reduce material costs by 15%, something we could all learn from.’
