"Increasingly more attention is being paid to the issue of pollution, and rightly so. Not only with regard to the emission of CO2, but certainly also with regard to litter in nature and in particular different kinds of plastics". This is according to Bert de Wals of IPP Holland, for years one of the major suppliers of plastic pots in horticulture.
Bert de Wals
There is a lot of difference in plastic products. "The pots, containers and injection-mold trays as we are putting them on the market, do not have to be a burden on the environment, because for decades we have only used plastics that are fully recyclable after use. However, the condition is that the products are handled in a decent way as soon as the grower or the consumer no longer has a need for them."
Completing the circle
That is where the proverbial shoe pinches. The market keeps talking about recycling and waste-does-not-exist, but in practice this is not so easy. Or, as Bert puts it: "The problem is not plastic, but plastic waste is not always delivered where it is going to end up again in the recycling process".
One of the molds at the company
How is this going to happen, how will the market realize that in the future? According to Bert, it is pretty simple. "There are already certain parties that are actively collecting plastic, that recycle pots, that process the plastics and turn it into grains again. In this cycle we are one of the demanding parties, and if there is a demand, there will be a market."
Of course that does not mean that a company should necessarily have to collect itself. "That's a nice idea, but it would become a mess. There are parties that specialize in that and contribute their part to the process. They offer the producers the choice whether or not to use recycled material. We very emphatically opt for this and thus we can make 95% of the pots and trays that we produce, from 100% recycled plastic."
IPP Holland can be visited at the IPM Essen, Hall 4, 4B43.
For more information:
IPP Holland B.V.
Sluiskil 6
7681 KD Vroomshoop
Netherlands
T: +31 (0)546 – 64 72 55
E: bdw@ippholland.nl
www.ippholland.nl
