SULO bins now collect waste…to be made into more bins

Packaging manufacturer and recycler Pact Group has developed new methods which allow its iconic Sulo kerbside bins to become something of a pin-up for the circular economy.

The Sulo bins, which collect waste of various types will now collect plastic waste which will then be turned into…more Sulo bins.

The recycling breakthrough has already seen local councils taking delivery of kerbside collection bins made with up to 100 percent recycled plastic.

Pact’s Executive General Manager Pact Recycling & Reuse Shareef Khan said: “By using discarded plastic packaging and old mobile garbage bins, we are able to provide a reliable and high-quality source of recycled plastic to make new SULO bins and reduce the environmental impact for local councils who adopt these bins,.

“We have created a circular economy for kerbside bins and the plastic waste that householders put in them by creating new products from old ones.”

After extensive testing and trials, the new 120L and 240L SULO bins are made using recycled HDPE resin sourced from household recycling bins, such as empty shampoo, detergent and sauce bottles, and plastic lids from jars and bottles, mixed with old, recycled wheelie bins.

The plastic bottles, jars and lids are sorted, shredded and washed, and then turned into a high-quality resin at the Pact-operated Circular Plastics Australia (CPA) recycling facility in Laverton, Victoria which is a joint venture with Cleanaway Waste Management.

The resin is blended with recycled plastic pellets made from end-of-life bins which are collected from local councils and waste management companies across Australia and processed at Pact recycling facilities in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

The new SULO bins are manufactured in dark colours such as black and dark green rather than the traditional green or blue which reflects the wider range of colours from the recycled plastics used in their creation.

Using recycled resin to manufacture new SULO bins reduces the need to use virgin resin sourced from fossil fuels and can significantly reduce the carbon emissions and water usage from the manufacturing process.

SULO bins are used for general waste, recycling, food and garden organics (FOGO), and glass collection and have been rolled out to more than 200 local councils across Australia, as well as for commercial customers.

Picture: Pact Group