In a previous blog, MYGroup made the case for why waste-to-energy (incineration) should no longer be the accepted end game for used cosmetics items and blister packs manufactured from mixed and composite materials, such as plastic and metal.
The company’s market-leading end-to-end collection and recovery solution for blister packs – already proven nationwide alongside leading retailer, Boots – allows local authorities to transform recycling rates at Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs).
Here, the company sets out its end-to-end process for blister pack recovery and recycling.
1. Frictionless deposits for residents
At the heart of MYGroup’s blister pack recovery solution for HWRCs are its durable and safe 1,000-litre MYSafe containers, manufactured fully in-house using the company’s MYBoard™ – itself composed entirely of recycled plastic. MYSafe containers and collection boxes can be bespoke branded and manufactured from MYBoard produced from a local authority’s own processed plastic.
MYGroup can also provide smaller collection boxes to other council-run locations in the community, such as town halls and civic centres, sports and leisure facilities, museums or libraries. Where in-person drop-off isn’t viable, residents can still participate in a scheme from home via a postal recycling service using pre-paid boxes provided by MYGroup.
All waste blister packs packs can be deposited loose, with no need for residents to sort or separate prior to deposit.
2. End-to-end collection and recovery
The collection and sorting of deposited blister packs from HWRCs and other drop-off points is managed fully in-house by MYGroup. This includes full coordination of courier services for the transport of packs back to the company’s specialised facility in Hull, East Yorkshire, working with local authority staff and existing contractors as required.
Material arriving on site at Hull is scanned and uploaded to a digital platform, capturing its weight and origin before a unique ID is assigned, allowing end-to-end tracking. Waste items are then both hand and mechanically sorted, before being directed through MYGroup’s state-of-the-art separation and recovery processes.
MYGroup has installed a dedicated, specialised machinery line for blister pack material in Hull, meaning – all on the same site – the mixed pack materials are separated and recovered. Aluminium is sent to a local refinery for remanufacture into ingots, while plastic goes through both a PVC recycling process for recovery back to supply chains, as well as into the production of the company’s own MYBoard. MYBoard is a material similar in consistency to plywood, used widely for construction, joinery, shop and event fittings, as well as furniture for commercial and community settings, such as schools.
Unique to MYGroup’s blister pack recovery process is the provision for accidental hazardous contamination from unused medicines, vitamins or supplements that may be inadvertently left in packs, with the company holding the appropriate environmental permits to process this waste and still achieve full recovery of materials. Medical residue is recovered into bio-fuel.
3. Schools and community engagement
Alongside the provision of a blister pack waste recovery scheme for HWRCs and other community touchpoints, MYGroup can further support local authorities to engage residents in recycling and sustainability through its SchoolCycled™ programme.
Unique in the market, SchoolCycled turns children’s participation in sustainability into a rewarding learning experience, with pupils incentivised to recycle by earning furniture, fittings and other products for their school manufactured from MYBoard using the very waste they collect. Schools and wider trusts can also be provided with recycling facilities for plastic and other hard-to-recycle waste streams, educational resources and data.
SchoolCycled is not-for-profit, funded through MYGroup’s commercial waste management and recycling operations, which means councils commissioning a HWRC scheme are also aligning their waste and sustainability strategy with meaningful outcomes for local children, their families and the wider community.
MYGroup currently runs in-store collection and recycling schemes for blister packs nationwide across the entire 800-store Boots network, as well as in Tesco stores in partnership with consumer healthcare company, Kenvue. The company also provides specialist blister pack recycling programmes for GP surgeries, pharmacies and veterinary practices.
To find out more about MYGroup’s unique blister packs recycling solution for HWRCs, or to explore a tailored solution for your local authority, visit: https://mygroupltd.com/cosmetics-recycling/, contact sales@mygroupltd.com, or call 0330 174 31 66.
