Heavy Duty Granulators Help Close the Loop
The Cumberland-KW Plastics partnership began over 30 years ago to pioneer a recycling solution, achieve
throughputs that validate the process profitability, and drive a more sustainable and ecological process.
CUSTOMER
KW Plastics is the world’s largest post-consumer plastics recycler for HDPE, PP and other materials. Their KW Container division manufactures paint containers out of 100% Post-Consumer Resin (PCR).
CHALLENGE
The company needed to find a way to solve the problem of processing scrap materials without damaging its machinery. They also wanted to quantify the offset Global Warming Potential (GWP) achieved by recycling post-consumer packaging.
SOLUTION
Cumberland worked with KW Plastics to pioneer a ‘wet granulation’ solution that successfully processes high volumes of post-consumer plastics, while offering a way to quantify the net improvement of GWP compared to processing virgin resin.
RESULTS
KW Plastics successfully recycles up to one billion pounds of materials annually. In addition, Cumberland helped KW Plastics further promote the value of recycling by modeling the reduction of GWP achieved through the process.
As a pioneer in plastics recycling with over 30 years of experience, KW Plastics has relied on Cumberland to develop successful methods to grind and reprocess high volumes of polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) curbside recycling products such as beverage containers, laundry detergent bottles, and more. To help reinforce the environmental benefits of recycling, Cumberland helped KW Plastics identify the average reduction of global warming potential (GWP) achieved through the recycling process vs. manufacturing of virgin resins. The net benefit of the process indicates a significant reduction of harmful CO2 released into the environment.
“Cumberland has been a true partner in helping us build our recycling business to where we are today.” – Scott Saunders, General Manager, KW Plastics
