If you’re a regular reader of our blog, you might have come across the odd mention of Closed Loop Recycling and wondered what on earth we’re talking about. Well it’s a simple concept that some people see as the holy grail of recycling. We’re not sure about that, but it’s certainly something we should all be aiming for.
The concept is best understood if we look at the king of closed loop recycling, the milkmen.
The old glass milk bottles are a great example of how recycling should work. Your milk is delivered and when you’ve drank it you return the bottle to the milkman. He in turn takes it back to the dairy where it’s sterilised and refilled with fresh milk ready for delivery. And so the cycle continues.
In the case of milk bottles, closed loop recycling works because it’s simple. The bottles are collected by the same person who delivers them. They are also used for the same purpose. But this simple concept can be taken further. And as glass milk bottles slowly slip away into sentimental memory, we need to look at other ways to close that loop.
Modern manufacturing demands that we try to reuse as much of our resources as possible. That’s why we have things like WEEE and the new battery recycling schemes. Both of these aim to encourage manufacturers and retailers to provide ways for old equipment to be reused. Plastic containers and packaging are also being made from material that can be easily broken down and used to make new packaging.
It’s not quite the same method as in our milk bottle example, but it’s done with the same intent. Individual manufacturers are no longer responsible for collecting and reusing their old containers or components. Instead, the industries are working together to ensure that anything that can be recycled, is recycled. And the more closed loop recycling systems are put into place, the cleaner the manufacturing process will become. As a bonus, this should make the end products cheaper too.
Who says recycling is just for hippies?
