In Hamburg, you can now buy washing powder in bottles made from 100% recycled plastic. The special thing about it: The recycled material comes from the city itself. The drugstore chain Budni has teamed up with waste disposal companies, Unilever and the city's Technical University to realise this project.
Preparations for this project began in spring 2019. The specific goal of Hamburgs Wertstoff Innovative is to realise a recycling cycle in Hamburg for Hamburg. Each partner takes on its own special role. The Hamburg city cleaning collects the packaging waste in the Hamburg recycling bin or the Yellow Bag and delivers it to the Hamburg sorting plant of Veolia. The waste is sorted there and the plastic packaging made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) required for the project is pressed into bales.
Findings to improve sorting processes
In another plant, the HDPE is sorted by colour, shredded, cleaned, processed and formed into small plastic balls, known as regranulates. This recycled material is then Unilever used to produce a detergent bottle made from 100 % recycled plastic. All of these processes are accompanied by extensive tests and inspections carried out in collaboration with experts from the TU Hamburg take place. The findings are evaluated and used to optimise the sorting and recycling processes.
Regional bottle-to-bottle cycle
Unilever produces the detergent and designs the product, which is then sold exclusively to retail partners. BUDNI on the shelves. At the same time, the partners will provide information on the topic of waste separation and encourage all interested customers to actively participate in the Hamburg cycle.
By purchasing the product, Hamburg consumers close the cycle, because after use the bottle belongs (again) in the recycling bin or in the yellow bag and the cycle can start all over again. The special feature: The plastic is used as product packaging before and after recycling.
Source: BUDNI Handels- und Service GmbH & Co. KG
