The expansion project will help the company to increase the recycling capacity of plastic retail bags and other films at the North Vernon facility
Novolex is investing in a new water treatment system to increase its capacity to recycle plastic retail bags and other films. (Credit: PRNewswire / Novolex)
Packaging and foodservice products provider Novolex has announced that it is investing to expand the recycling facility in North Vernon, Indiana, US.
The company will install a new water treatment system at the facility to increase its capacity for the recycling of plastic retail bags and other films collected via store drop-off programmes.
Novolex anticipates that the investment will help enhance recycling capacity by over 500,000 pounds per annum.
North Vernon recycling centre processes plastics collected via store drop-off collection points
The North Vernon recycling centre is involved in the processing of plastics collected through a North American network of store drop-off collection points at grocery stores and other retailers.
Consumers can place plastic retail bags, as well as other bags and film products such as produce bags, bread bags, newspaper bags, cereal bags, mailers, dry cleaning and other polyethylene films generally used to package retail goods at collection points.
Later, the collected bags and film products will be accumulated into bales and shipped to the Novolex recycling centres in North Vernon. The bales will be washed and processed into resin pellets.
According to the company, water used to process the incoming plastics required to be filtered and clean to generate a better yield.
The new water treatment system enables to make the water clean, as well as enhance the quality and volume of recycled pellets to be used for the manufacturing of new plastic retail bags.
Retailers intend to use plastic bags made with higher percentages of post-consumer recycled content, said the company.
Novolex is also part of the How2Recycle programme and collaborates with retailers to mark the Store Drop-off logo on polyethylene film and bags.
Novolex sustainability director Erik Gonring said: “All of us need to do our part to improve our nation’s ability to collect, reclaim and reuse plastics. It’s going to take everyone – from consumers and businesses to government leaders – working together to make this happen.”
In May this year, Novolex launched new non-fluorinated, grease-resistant wraps and clamshells, which are manufactured by its brands Bagcraft and Burrows Packaging.