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Our managing director, David Wilson, has been announced as the latest addition to the expert panel for the Resource Infrastructure Conference on Tuesday 24th March.

David will be joining individuals from the Textile Recycling Association, Recycling Association, ADBA and FCC environment in the session tackling the question of: “What infrastructure is required?”.

David comments, “It’s a privilege to be a panel member at the Infrastructure Conference. It’s a dynamic time in recycling with the highest levels of public engagement I have ever seen and new legislation coming down the tracks. Having the opportunity to exchange views and ideas at this event about how to make concrete progress is exactly what we need at the start of this new decade.”

As part of the panel, David will focus on why plastic recycling needs to become ingrained within supply chains to achieve sustainability. David will also share practical advice on simplifying polymers, material recovery and diverting plastic scrap from landfill. Held at the iconic London landmark, The Shard, the launch of the first Resource Infrastructure Conference aims to provide attendees the opportunity to network with key figures in the infrastructure, waste management and plastic recycling sectors.

Event organisers, Letsrecycle.com commented, “The Resource Infrastructure conference will support UK’s drive towards a more sustainable approach to waste management by providing a platform to discuss the UK’s waste and resource infrastructure requirements. The conference will tackle key topics such as plans for the next few years, funding and acquisitions and a range of cases studies from across the sector.”

You can learn more about Resource Infrastructure Conference 2020, and book your ticket here, or keep up to date with Vanden Recycling by connecting with us on LinkedIn.

The new year brings news of our expansion in Turkey, with a new office location in Istanbul.

Our Turkish arm, trading as Vanden Polimer Geri Donusum A.S., will be led by Derya Eksi. Derya joins us with a deep knowledge of polymers. Having amassed 13 years of experience in the raw plastic material industry, Derya will support Vanden Recycling in identifying and negotiating new supply sources for the polymer and recycled resins market.

‘‘Our goal in Turkey is to help the local plastic manufacturing market increase its use of recycled content. Vanden will provide access to international markets for recycled resins and products made in Turkey”, explains Vanden Recycling CEO, Damien van Leuven.

Turkey has already displayed great initiative when it comes waste management, most noticeably with the launch of the Zero Waste Project. Turkey’s current recycling rate is 13% and the project aims to take this up to 35% by 2023.

We will align with this initiative by working to challenge the perception of plastic and providing plastic manufacturers with recycling solutions that also generate revenue.

“Creating public consciousness is a top priority” says Derya. “There is a strong belief in Turkey that plastic scrap is a waste material, when in reality it can be treated as a valuable raw material.”

With our in-depth knowledge, passion for plastic recycling and global locations, Vanden is well-placed to service the needs to the Turkish market.

For further information on the services offered by Vanden Polimer Geri Donusum A.S., please contact Derya Eksi via D.Eksi@vandenrecycling.com

Vanden is announced as winner of BUILD magazine award

We are delighted to announce that Vanden Recycling has been awarded with BUILD magazine’s UK Plastic Recycling Specialists of the Year for 2019!

The awards, run by the digital publication dedicated to the construction and property markets, aimed to “shine a spotlight on the ground-breaking work that is done in the name of innovation in the recycling and waste management spheres”.

In a press release discussing the awards, Jack Wainwright, Awards Coordinator, said: “Waste management is a fundamentally important part of daily business – especially in the construction and property spheres – that so often gets taken for granted and rarely receives the recognition it deserves. From everyone here at BUILD, we say thank you and congratulations.”

Winners of the awards were chosen by a judging panel who reviewed and deliberated nominations.

For further information on the awards, visit the BUILD magazine website.

We recently opened the doors to our UK plastic recycling facility, inviting a local under 14s football team to learn more about plastic recycling.

Last year, Vanden Recycling became the proud sponsors of Whittlesey Juniors U14s, much to the delight of the youngsters and manager, Darren Jackson.

The sponsorship was led by Marcus Branton, Product Technologist and Dale Digby, Health and Safety at Vanden Recycling.

You can learn more about the Vanden team here.

Having lived in Whittlesey all of his life, Marcus was keen for Vanden to build relationships with the local community, and felt the club demonstrated great potential. The sponsorship also presented an opportunity for Vanden to educate the youngsters when it comes to plastic recycling, and the actions they can take themselves to ensure it is diverted away from landfill.

“At Vanden, we’re passionate about educating the younger generation when it comes to the true value of plastic”, explains Marcus.

“There is no getting away from the fact that plastic is an intrinsic part of everyday life. They have the perception that plastic is bad. Really, plastic is not all bad, it is just that society has not given enough thought and care as to how we collect plastic along with other forms of waste to maximise its potential for reuse.

“We want the next generation to understand: plastic doesn’t pose an issue. The way we are disposing of it does.”

During the visit, the team enjoyed the quality control demonstrations from the Vanden team to bring the issues they face to life. They were given an insight into the ways that Vanden identify plastic material and assess contamination levels, using a rare earth magnet and burn testing.

Club Manager, Darren Jackson, comments:

“We were really pleased when Vanden agreed to the sponsorship, the team are thrilled with their new kit! The boys thoroughly enjoyed the visit and took all of the information in, they probably listened more than they do in training!

“It has opened theirs, and their parents, eyes when it comes to plastic and the way it should be recycled.”

Vanden Shines Spotlight on Sustainability by Launching ‘Think Beginning Not End’ Podcast

 

Led by its Australian team, Vanden Recycling is excited to announce the launch of the ‘Think Beginning Not End’ Podcast, covering sustainability, recycling issues and innovation. The goal is to shift the conversation around plastic scrap being a waste by-product to one focused on that fact it is a valuable resource.

The first episode airs on Friday 13^th December 2019 and features an in-depth interview with Anthony Peyton.

Anthony is the CEO and co-founder of PREP Design, a firm that offers unique and bespoke design solutions for brand owners and packaging designers, via a specialist software tool.

The tool brings together Anthony’s knowledge and experience from the waste sector and generation of waste, MRF’s and the downstream recycling process.

Vanden’s Australian Director, Simon van Leuven, talks with Anthony about designing packaging for recycling. From compatible labelling to the size and shape of the packaging, PREP’s portal helps to reduce the confusion at the design stage over the recyclability of the product.

The ‘Think Beginning Not End’ podcast series is aligned with Vanden’s brand values and aims to improve the level of transparency within the plastic recycling industry.

It will provide a platform for people to learn more about innovation, challenges, projects and initiatives and the key players in the movement for supply chain sustainability.

Other guests in future episodes include Gayle Sloan, CEO of the Waste Management Association of Australia and Viv Lister, Group Head of the Trade, Transport and Regulatory group.

Damien van Leuven, CEO of Vanden Recycling, comments, ‘The key to unlocking the value and recyclability of plastics is to reverse engineer how they become waste in the first place.

Tackling a problem at the root cause is the only way to create sustainable change. Rethinking how a product is designed and made, procurement practices and how it travels through the supply chain. We hope this podcast can spark debate and connect product designers and recyclers to create innovative solutions.’

You can find the ‘Think Beginning Not End’ podcast audio episode on Spotify and Apple Music, while the video episode can be found on Simon’s YouTube Channel.

Research released last year found that Saudi Arabia and UAE had gained a status of one of the world’s largest waste producers. As a result of this, the government were forced to act and quickly announced initiatives that would see the country reach a diversion rate of 75% by 2021.

The current recycling rate is less than 10% in the region, whereas established recycling ecosystems exceed 35% recycling rates. Saudi Arabia and UAE have a lot of catching up to do.

In order to achieve these goals, there is an urgent need for sustainable recovery systems and a structured approach. With our extensive knowledge of polymers, markets and processes, Vanden can help the ecosystem achieve these targets.

Our strong belief that plastic ‘waste’ is a commodity that creates sustainable circular supply chains means that Vanden is well positioned to support the needs of this region. Opportunities in the UAE and GCC are obvious with the low recycling rates and high waste generation. We believe Vanden will be a leader, bringing reliable solutions, enhancing the current recycling approach and supporting efforts to create a circular economy.

Operating as Vanden Recycling FZCO in the region, Vanden will support the recycling ecosystem, acting as a leader and offering expertise on recyclables, increasing awareness and creating value. Scaling up a recycling ecosystem in a short period of time will be only be achievable with experts in the field.

Vanden will be working hand-in-hand as a partner with local chain elements of the region’s recycling ecosystem.

The entire Vanden team have worked hard to create a dynamic and supportive environment. This has made it possible to empower the team located in Dubai to explore valuable opportunities in plastic waste and recycling in UAE & GCC region.

One member of that team is business development manager, Beril Yesilirmak. Beril joined Vanden in June of this year and is responsible for generating our market position in the GCC region and Middle East. This will include building up effective networks to reach long-term partnerships with suppliers and developing a secure and diverse customer base.

“It’s imperative that we increase the awareness about the importance and the opportunities for plastic scrap and waste in the region with Vanden solutions. I will be placing a focus on developing procurement of recycled plastic resins from GCC markets to be sold to Asia, Europe and Turkey.”

The Vanden company structure is well established, covering all the needs of the different markets. Access to all the required information and know-how has never been easier for our international teams.

Beril has also commented on the value she has found in our company values and structure,

“Vanden’s values and the structure of the company are playing a crucial role in the growing team. There is an emphasis placed on bringing standardised criteria and supporting the ecosystem with a much more reliable approach to recyclables. Team work, adding value, growth, ownership, enjoying the ride and gratefulness are values that are involved in everyday processes that leads to enhancing success of the team.”

Some of the key objectives for the business development managers will be contributing to, and supporting, a high awareness on the recycling solutions that are available. Vanden will be working to communicate our recognisable value-added approach to suppliers and customers, creating long term partnerships in the region as we become a leading solutions provider that enhances the plastic recycling ecosystem in the region.

Vanden Recycling has appointed Imran Magre as Business Development Manager to continue to target the waste management sector in the North of England. Imran will provide Vanden’s signature service-focused offering to the large volume of waste companies dealing with recyclable plastics.

As well as placing a focus on firms operating in the waste management sector, Imran will be using his experience and commercial knowledge of the plastic recycling industry to develop partnerships with plastic sheet converters – namely bespoke packaging, producers of credit and loyalty card and flower label printers.

Imran joins the growing team at Vanden from a commercial background in plastic recycling, having played a pivotal role in heading up the secure destruction team in his previous position.

Imran says, “I hope to consolidate the great reputation Vanden has by continuing to build strong relationships with key stakeholders across the region.”

Managing Director of Vanden UK, David Wilson, has explained that Imran has quickly proven to be a valuable member of the business.

“I couldn’t be more pleased that Imran Magre has joined the Vanden team. Imran has significant experience in the purchasing of scrap plastic and is servicing our Waste Management and Recycler suppliers in the North of England. Imran has hit the ground running and is already becoming a familiar face with a number of our loyal supply base.”

Imran added, “It’s clear that our ability to offer quick and reliable collections of split loads meets the needs of waste managers. Our positioning in the trading markets means that we reprocess an extremely wide range of polymers and enabling waste managers to maximise their yard space. I look forward to further enabling waste management firms to elevate their business with Vanden’s services.”

Vanden Recycling has appointed Paul Scott as Business Development Manager to help target the thermoforming and vacuum forming sectors.

Paul joins Vanden with more than 35 years in the plastic manufacturing and packaging sector and was a key part of the team at Marks and Spencer that established the feasibility of using recycled plastic (rPET) in food packaging.

He added: “I am a huge exponent of recovering and recycling plastic waste and I have always been. Plastics are wrongly getting a lot of bad press because the world in general doesn’t know how to handle them for future uses. Being part of Vanden, a business that has set out not only to instigate this process but also to advise, educate and assist companies to do the right thing, ticks all the boxes for me.”

David Wilson, Managing Director of Vanden UK, said the business was very happy with the appointment of Paul whose prior experience will help Vanden meet the needs

“He’s got depth of knowledge, experience and a great track record in exactly the sectors we want to penetrate. While he’s been used to selling raw material into the thermoforming and vacuum forming sectors, that’s exactly what we are looking for because he has great insight into the scrap they produce and the needs of those sectors.”

Paul added: “My knowledge of the UK food packaging industry is extensive and the result of a lot of years in that arena. Most of the big players in the industry have now equipped themselves and adopted recycling strategies. My hope and intention is to enable the SMEs in this sector, without the knowledge or the facilities, to match the bigger companies by using Vanden’s services.”

Vanden Recycling has appointed Jason Loughlin as Business Development Manager to help source regular supply of plastic scrap from the food manufacturing sector. 

Jason joins Vanden with more than 12 years in the commercial waste management sector, dealing primarily with post-consumer waste, as well as offering innovative solutions for space optimisation, weighing solutions for multiple tenants on mixed-use sites and helping educate and train staff on plastic separation at source.   

David Wilson, Managing Director of Vanden UK, said Jason’s extensive experience will help Vanden develop partnerships with food manufacturers: 

“Jason brings over a decade of experience in dealing with the complex requirements of an industrial and commercial client base. He’s previously worked for some of the best companies in the business and we’re delighted he’s chosen Vanden as the next step in his career.  

“Jason has considerable tender management and project lead experience and has provided sustainable solutions for a broad variety of clients. I couldn’t be happier Jason’s joining our growing commercial team.” 

Jason said Vanden’s clear and ethical processes was a key reason for joining the business:   

“The transparent approach to scrap processing and quality testing at Vanden, as well as the passion to do things properly and handle plastics with best practice always in mind, were huge factors in attracting me to the company. 

“I’m looking forward to working closely with food manufacturers to increase their recycling rates, ensuring minimal amounts of material goes to waste, and securing a regular source of plastic scrap for Vanden’s UK processing site.” 

Vanden Recycling has appointed Matt Clark as Business Development Officer to help source regular supply of plastic scrap from the grocery, fruit and vegetable and distribution sectors.

Matt joins Vanden with an extensive background in sales and marketing, having previously had a role at polymer distribution firm Polydist where he primarily worked with injection moulding businesses.

David Wilson, Managing Director of Vanden UK, said Matt’s knowledge and previous experience will help Vanden work more closely with fruit and vegetable producers and distributors:

“Matt’s role will be to source regular plastic supply from food producers and distributors, such as ‘one way’ trays and crates used in air freight or other non-returnable packaging that must be recycled, as well as helping businesses in this sector optimise their plastic recycling processes.

“Matt has a great history in the plastics sector. At Vanden, we always look for those who have the right attitude and share our company values – combined with his sound technical knowledge, he was the ideal person for the role.

“I know Matt will bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the role, helping to secure feedstock for our UK processing site while satisfying the needs of our suppliers.”

Matt said he was eager to work with a business like Vanden and help the company succeed:

“The recycling market is only going to grow and Vanden offered a fantastic opportunity for me to be a part of its growth. Right from the very first interview, I could tell Vanden was a very good company to be working for and is headed in the right direction. I know it will continue to grow and help businesses make the most of their plastic scrap and ensure it is dealt with correctly.”