Grundon Waste Management: Aerosol recycling
State-of-the-art aerosol recycling plant sets new environmental standards
What we know
Aerosol use is ubiquitous – there is barely an industry that doesn’t use aerosols in some capacity.
And high use means high consumption of raw or virgin materials and potentially high volumes of unrecycled waste.
Existing used aerosol products going into landfills, are disposed of through processes that are at risk of causing fire hazards (like shredding) or enter a recycling system that fails to reuse all the components.
We wanted to tackle the waste issue by creating a recycling and reprocessing facility that would be safer, environmentally friendly and cost-efficient.
What we’re doing
Our facility, situated at Grundon’s Hazardous Waste Transfer Station at Ewelme in Oxfordshire, is transforming the way aerosols are disposed of in the UK and Europe.
All the metal from the cans is recycled, liquids are separated for recovery or recycling, and we collect propellants and use them as fuel. Every single component is recycled or reprocessed in a completely sealed and totally safe oxygen-free environment, with zero emissions released into the atmosphere and the risk of fire is kept to an absolute minimum.
And it’s capable of recycling around 9,000 aerosols an hour, making the AeroPak the world’s most advanced closed-loop aerosol recycling system.
What it’s worth
With a throughput of around 72,000 aerosols a day, based on an average eight-hour shift, our aerosol recycling facility has the potential to reduce disposal costs by up to 30%.
Our facility actively promotes reduction of virgin materials, increased and improved recycling, and lower emission modelling. It’s setting new industry standards and delivers significant cost savings alongside considerable environmental benefits
Testimonial
At Grundon, we don’t see being ‘responsible’ as a buzzword, but a state of mind that is core to everything we do. Our decision-making aims to ensure that at all times we are performing responsibly and sustainably and that our business is built upon sound ethics and effective responsibility.”
Toni Robinson Head of Compliance, Grundon Waste Management
