 Recycled products complete the loop for Centriforce |
At its stand at this year's Recycling and Waste Management Exhibition (11-13 September, NEC, Birmingham) Centriforce Products (Stand 1508) will re-assert its status as a market leader in converting low value plastic waste into a range of high value extruded products, many of which are used by the waste suppliers. At RWM 2007 it will be showing how this unique loop operates for the benefit of local authorities, waste management companies and suppliers of recycling containers.
The main exhibit is the proven Stokbord® general purpose board, which is proving the ideal material for recycling containers and many other applications throughout Europe. One very successful application is for the highly successful Solway Bin and Liner System, which forms a key part of The National Farm Waste Collection Scheme.
"We represent arguably the most sustainable UK outlet for plastic waste as we can make so many useful second life products," explains Centriforce Recycled Products Manager, Barry Keeling.
Centriforce manufactures Stokbord® from the waste products that Solway and other companies supply them at its Liverpool factory. Recent investment and market growth has resulted in an expansion in capacity and the development of a wider range of products.
| A British company is making footbridges entirely out of recylced plastic bottles |
 In one of the first constructions of its kind, Centriforce Products has built a 450-metre boardwalk (see image, left hand walkway) in conjunction with The National Trust and the Bassenthwaite Reflections Project, which is an environmental scheme.
The boardwalk is made from more than 500,000 plastic bottles to enable walkers in the Lake District to cross a historically slippery stretch of the shore of Derwent Water.
The key benefits are that the reprocessed bottle plastic lasts four times longer than wood, is rot and algae-resistant, splinter free and has a non-slip textured surface.
| Successful farm plastics collection scheme earns praise from The Princess Royal |
 During her tour as guest of honour round the new Royal Smithfield Christmas Fair at the Bath and West of England Society, HRH The Princess Royal, who is vice-president of both the Society and Royal Smithfield Club, stopped off at the Solway Recycling Ltd stand to discuss the intricacies of recycling waste from farms. The Dumfries-based company, with over 20 years of experience of collecting and recycling plastic waste from agricultural and aquacultural operations, is working closely with Centriforce Products to maximise the volume of waste plastics that Centriforce can use in its processes.
The photograph shows Solway's Managing Director Roy Hiddleston and Philip Kennen, Managing Director of Kernow Farm Plastics Ltd of Bodmin, Cornwall offering HRH The Princess Royal advice on the intricacies of recycling. They also presented a delighted Princess Royal with a recycling bin which will be delivered to her farm at Gatcombe Park.
Addressing the huge crowds gathered round the ringsides she praised the initiative that saved Britain's premier winter primestock show from extinction. She congratulated the young farmers on a tremendous show of stock, expressed delight at the numbers forward, and said the enthusiasm shown boded well for the future of the agricultural industry.
The major new agricultural exhibition, centred around the traditional Royal Smithfield Club's livestock competitions, offered a first class opportunity to showcase the country's top livestock, and the services and products related to the livestock and meat industry.
Visitor numbers far exceeded organisers' expectations – 8,026 attended on Friday and 7,581 on Saturday, making a grand total of 15,607.
| Preventing accidental damage and dig ins for underground utilities |
 Centriforce is the world's largest manufacturer of cable covers that avoid accidental damage to buried cables and dig ins. A further benefit is that the cables use recycled materials.
"There has never been a better time to consider the benefits of an underground cable protection system on both practical and environmental grounds," says Export Director Simon Carroll.
He adds: "Our Stokbord® cable covers and Centritile® warning tape are today's safest, most cost effective and proven products for complete protection of all your underground cables. They use recycled plastic material instead of concrete, are easier to install, much lighter to transport, rot proof and resistant to a wide range of soil conditions".
Proven in all climates and conditions, tough and durable, easy to install, highly resistant to chemicals, maintenance free, rot proof and non toxic, they provide excellent performance benefits.
"More and more utilities throughout the world are placing orders for our Stokbord® and Centritile® covers and heavy duty warning tapes, recognising the benefits and high levels of service," adds Simon Carroll.
 more information...
| Tern raft for Surrey Wildlife |
 Bird rafts are an increasingly popular means for attracting a variety or individual species of birds to wild life parks or sanctuaries. At its Sheepwalk wildlife reserve, former farmland dug for commercial gravel extraction in the 1950s, Surrey Wildlife Trust has installed a raft made from recycled plastic as a safe haven for terns.
The tern rafts have been made by Filcris, a leading manufacturer of outdoor products for land management applications. They have pioneered the use of recycled plastics with Centriforce Products, the leading manufacturer of profiles, sheet and board, and are providing solutions to land management organisations throughout the UK.
Chris Matcham and David Williams from the Surrey Wildlife Trust chose the recycled system for its many practical advantages, as well as the environmental consideration. They were already using a large wheelchair friendly dipping platform also made by Filcris elsewhere on the Reserve.
It provides a stable, slip free surface for the birds, and as it is durable, rot and algae proof, resists the decay and leaching that can occur in wetland environments. A further benefit is that it is maintenance free. "If, as we suspect, it will be successful, we will seriously consider using recycled plastic tern rafts on our other large open water reserves," says Chris Matcham.
Surrey Wildlife Trust is currently responsible for managing over 11,000 acres of the county through its Countryside Services division. Within this landholding there are over 60 sites, which collectively cover a range of habitat types from the chalk grassland of the North Downs to the heathland of the London Basin, taking in both ancient and mixed woodland, meadows and open water.
 more information: Fencing & Walkways, Outdoor Furniture & Gates and Signage
 A new force on the 'Greens' |
...Centriforce help golf clubs to improve environmental credentials
Recycled products, made from everyday materials are an excellent way for golf courses to demonstrate their environmental credentials without compromising performance characteristics or quality. In fact, in many cases, recycled products have been found to perform better than traditional materials in comparative tests.
Centriforce has been working closely with WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) and a number of specialist fabricators to spread understanding about the opportunities and benefits offered by recycled plastics. In collaboration with other key industry bodies, such as BIGGA, they are ensuring that the facts rather than the myths about recycled products are reaching Greenkeepers and Course Managers.
The results have been very encouraging, and immediate - from golf tees and path edging to fencing, benches and signage. To give Greenkeepers the opportunity to see many of these recycled products for themselves, and get a feel for the benefits they can provide, Centriforce was present at the BTME Exhibition in January 2005.
And one product that really caught the eye of the thousands of visitors was the 3Gs golf tee, which provides the best possible all year round playing surface and requires only limited maintenance.
Click for more information
| Fast track to Liverpool, not slow boat to China |
Our factory is working around the clock. Our pioneering products made from recycled polyethylene are in demand throughout the world for applications as diverse as park benches and underground cable covers.
Yet plans to grow our business - one of the UK's most successful examples of truly sustainable manufacturing - are threatened unless we can quickly persuade organisations that generate waste plastics to send their waste to us, and not to China or landfill.
Over the past few years we have helped to change the reputation of a product once thought of as inferior and low quality into an award winning success, much valued for its superiority over traditional timber, concrete or metal. And all from waste that might otherwise end up in the ground!
Much of this waste is now being shipped to China, where that country's thirst for any material is proving more lucrative for manufacturers and merchants than any UK channel.
Simon Carroll, managing director of Centriforce Products, puts the case: "It is inconceivable that a successful business based on quality recycled materials that meets a growing demand for more sustainable, and in this instance, better, products can be put at risk because the mountain of waste we generate in the UK is being shipped thousands of miles across the world."
When you read this, and if you have sizeable amounts of waste plastics such as pallet or shrink wrap, bubble wrap, garment covers, plastic bottles and film scrap, contact Colin.littlejohns@centriforce.co.uk.
Help us fast track it to Liverpool, and keep it off the slow boat to China.
| Centriforce provides sustainable option for utilities worldwide |
 Centriforce is becoming a leading supplier to utilities worldwide by successfully addressing the issues of how to use recycled materials to achieve environmental targets, and how to avoid accidental damage to existing cabling.
The solution pioneered by Centriforce is a range of underground utility protection covers using recycled plastic materials instead of concrete, and supply them with clearly marked standard warning tape.
Stokbord® and Centritile® have become quality benchmarks with contractors and buyers, who are seeking a proven product. Tough and durable, easy to install, highly resistant to chemicals, maintenance free, rot proof and non toxic, they meet a growing demand from electricity, gas, telephony and TV, and water companies for high quality recycled material.
more information...
| Cost Effective Solutions for Sustainable Land Management |
 In town and country, we are seeing more and more recycled plastic fencing and walkways. They are chosen because they have a significantly lower whole-life cost than conventional timber alternatives. Landscapers prefer this material because it is rot and algae-proof, splinter-free, resistant to vandalism, UV- resistant and light and easy to install.
Centriforce has developed a range of high performance recycled plastic profiles that are helping to transform the application of walkways, fencing, path edging, signage, bird hides and a host of sports and leisure applications across the country. Many are already in use at Nature, Bird and Wildlife Reserves, Waterways, Pontoons, Parks, Coastlines and many other applications.
more information: Fencing & Walkways, Outdoor Furniture & Gates and Signage
| Independent Verification for Centriforce Land Management Products |
To provide independent verification of how products containing mixed waste plastics are affected by weather and other aspects of their habitat, WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme) commissioned independent evaluation from Rapra and the University of Brighton.
The main findings show that as far as the two primary criteria are concernedő mechanical strength and UV degradationő there has been no appreciable deterioration of the materials after continuous exposure of 5 or more years in the field.
The tensile strength of Centriforce materials was found not only to be unaffected by UV exposure, but the study concluded that in might have slightly increased. The bulk solid properties and melt flow characteristics also remain unaffected by UV exposure. The study showed that the results of the Centriforce products that had been in use for several years were almost identical to the materials we had just produced.
Barry Keeling from Centriforce comments: "This report has given us plenty to think about as far as future product development is concerned. We are very pleased with its conclusion that our materials used in outdoor applications are performing exactly as we intended."
more information: Fencing & Walkways, Outdoor Furniture & Gates and Signage
| All Weather Success in Schools for Centriforce |
 Two companies at the cutting edge of sustainability are urging schools and local education authorities to thinkłenvironmental°.
Centriforce Products and Sportslawn Ltd from Buckinghamshire are pioneering a new type of all-weather pitch that can be installed without the need for traditional highly expensive ground works, and is significantly less cheaper.
The Sportslawn system, which is designed for all types of sports and recreational pitches and playgrounds, involves the use of interlocking HDPE panels, in conjunction with the latest high performance artificial grass carpet manufactured by Tiger Turf.
Sportslawn acts as base works, drainage system and shock pad all in one. It can be laid directly upon an existing grassy surface to create a new pitch, but can also be laid onto an existing worn-out artificial grass, tarmacadam or asphalt. It evolved from the development of tennis courts by Sportslawn 5 years ago.
The system, claims its manufacturers, is about a third cheaper to install than conventional surfaces. For the first time, smaller, inner city schools where space is at a premium and budgets are limited could be in a position to afford an all-weather sports pitch or play area.
Sportslawn takes only half the normal time to install, and will in most cases not require heavy construction plant, thus avoiding problems with access, general mess and ground-surface damage. It can even be supplied in DIY Kit form for smaller schools or clubs.
The HDPE panels are made from high density polyethylene profiles developed and manufactured by Centriforce, Europe's largest independent producer of virgin and recycled sheet and profile products.
Sportslawn is unquestionably the most environmentally friendly solution, and meets the requirements for a more sustainable approach to building and construction. With this system, there is no top soil to dispose of in landfill, which in the case of a football pitch would be 4200 cubic meters of waste- enough to fill 600 standard size skips.
The product has passed all FA and IRB test criteria for ball bounce, ball roll and resistance. Several hockey pitches, third generation football pitches and MUGA's (Multi Use Games Areas) have already been created using the Sportslawn system and there are over 50 UK references for sports pitches and playground areas.
more information
| Centriforce a clear winner for Tushingham |
 Centriforce profiles is one of the most effective and versatile materials in the equestrian industry, with uses ranging from stables and boxes to linings and even jumps, as one of the world's leading manufacturers of temporary stabling, Tushingham Stable Hire, has discovered.
Based in Whitchurch, Shropshire and owned and managed for three generations by the Sutton family, they work with many of the most prestigious equestrian events throughout the world. In 1991, believing that there was a need for quality accommodation for the stabling of the horses, they designed and marketed a quick build temporary stable system and out of this Tushingham Stable Hire was born.
The Business went from success to success and in 1995 it acquired the assets of Ascot Stable Hire. This led to the company needing larger premises for expansion and the present sixteen acre site at Whitchurch, Shropshire was purchased.
At this point, the stables were being manufactured from wood, a perfectly sound material that seemed to suit the style and quality of product. But Tushingham have always believed in continuous progress and improvement, and when, a couple of years ago, they discovered the Centriforce range of recycled plastic products, they quickly put it to the test.
The results were immediate, and very beneficial for Tushingham and its customers.
"We were very satisfied with our traditional material until we discovered the benefits of manufacturing from 'plastic' ", explains Tushingham's Kay Ellis.
"It is much lighter, very easy to clean, maintain and repair, and furthermore, it helps us to reduce our transportation costs as more stable panels can be loaded onto the trailer."
Profiles are hygienic, tough, durable, highly resistant to chemicals, rot proof, non toxic and chew resistant. It is steam cleanable, non-absorbent and maintenance free, as it does not require painting. The embossed surface gives good scratch resistance.
Most importantly, it is clearly a winner for Tushingham.
more information...
| The beauty and practicality of Ecogates |
 Applied Technologies make, as their brochure states "lasting products for a lasting environment." And where better for them to practise what they preach than to source their materials from Centriforce.
Centriforce supplies the company with a mixture of solid and hollow profile sections for most of the products in their extensive Ecogates range. They are perhaps best known for their innovative traditional style gates, where Holloplas is used to create a tough, robust and very good looking product.
"We use Centriforce high density polyethylene profiles for a variety of reasons," explains Applied Technology's David Townend.
"It makes rubbing down, re-painting, and rotting wood a thing of the past. The material is gently textured rather than the usual bland plastic sheen. In fact it has confused many people into thinking that the gates are made from timber."
Applied Technologies also use profiles for picket fencing, garden edging, portable dressage arenas and for their trellis.
"Gardeners love our Ecogates Trellis, as they do not have to remove any climbing plants every few years to creosote or paint the structure," says Mr Townend.
more information...
|
|
Supermarkets and other major retailers are looking at a new development in external hoardings thanks to a collaboration between a West Yorkshire based fabricator, and a Merseyside plastics recycler.
