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STOP PLASTIC WASTE
At Reusables UK Ltd we have a simple idea - Reduce waste simply by helping create the infrastructure to make reusable packaging commercially viable.
This can be achieved simply by retrieving a high percentage of reusable products as cost effectively as possible.
For example - if we can collect 90% of bottles sold and return them to the manufacturer for resale, the manufacturer can recover production costs by selling the same bottle 10 times. Effectively their costs change from manufacturing costs to paying for retrieval.
If that retrieval cost is low enough reusable packaging will become commercially competitive to single use products.
To have a high percentage retrieval rate we needed a collection concept that reduced any obstacles for the general public to use it, it has to be as simple to use as possible and with minimal additional obligations on the general public. We believe we have developed a concept that can do this and much more. Explore our site and see what we can offer and how you can help.
HOW WILL REUSABLES WORK?
Initially Reusables was researching adding an extra collection service for Reusable products. Our research indicated this wasn't feasible as there would be some resistance to change in certain demographics, leading to lower retrieval percentages than required.
We have changed focus to consultancy and advocacy, supporting the addition of a sorting phase to existing refuse collection services and stopping compaction of waste during collection. This will keep collection costs to a minimum and produce higher retrieval rates, whilst imposing no extra responsibilities or costs put on the public. This will require waste collection without compacting, requiring refuse companies to change their collection vehicles. This will add some capital cost and additional operational and extra costs incurred by additional visits to the depot. These costs will be recovered through the sales of reusable packaging back to the manufacturer.
WHERE DOES IT ALL GO?
Waste collections will be taken to processing centres. Ideally these will be located on the the refuse centre's premises. There they will be sorted and directed to the relevant cleaning service. We anticipate 4 services: food and beverage containers; chemical product containers; reusable flatpack cardboard boxes (several companies have developed washable cardboard boxes that fold easily for simple reuse. We expect this product to become very popular once our services are in place); and clothing.
After washing the food and beverage, chemical and cardboard packaging will be sold back to the companies that manufactured the packaging - to their local distributors. They can then resell the packaging to their customers. This will enable packaging producers to design more expensive, reusable, products as they can recoup the extra expense through reselling the same unit multiple times.