Recycling is the great business of Plastiflex

The increase in the consumption of plastics in the world and long cycle of degradation of such material, that can exceed the one hundred years, has been one of the most debated environmental problems in recent decades and the country isn't exempt.

In Dominican Republic the concept of using components oxobiodegradables was introduced by the Plastiflex company for almost three decades, and today the company covers approximately 40% of domestic demand of plastic, with a range of bags eco-friendly.

The bags are produced with a large proportion of recycled material mixed with an agent biodegradador which allows the product will break down completely 24 months after having been discarded, which is not the case with the plastic joint

Explained Plastiflex plant director, Rafael Pimentel, the cost of production of a product oxobiodegradable is 10% higher than u000athat of a conventional plastic product, making it difficult to its inclusion in markets where there is a deep-rooted culture of environmental care. The Executive emphasized that in Dominican Republic it is necessary to encourage the consumption of green products, as well as promoting the habit of classifying waste so that it can be used as input in the industry and thus reduce the negative impact of debris not degradable in the environment.

"makes eight years the company brought to the country compaction machines so that supermarkets classified the plastic"which we committed ourselves to pick up, and proposed them to donate garbage bags made with recycled material; the result was that we had to pick up the machines, said Pimentel.

Range
Plastiflex produces bags for supermarkets, shops and city councils, and packaging laminates for food products from plastic dismissed as covers, u000asacks, water tanks, poncheras and tanks. In addition, with material that results from this process are manufactured edgeboard to strengthen the boxes in which bananas are exported. Articles are offered on the Dominican market and one smaller proportion is exported to Puerto Rico.

Pimentel stressed the importance of prefer not toxic for the food packaging materials and said that the company uses ink microcelulosa, free of lead, for the manufacture of their products.

Market share
the Executive stressed that the country occurring around 2,500 tons of plastic per month, enough to satisfy local demand for such material. However, emphasized that the increase in imports of plastic after the entry into force of the free trade treaty with Central America (DR-Cafta) and United States has been affecting manufacturers national.

Pimentel pointed out that Plastiflex was about supplying 55 % u000alocal demand, but in the wake of the free trade agreement, its market share was reduced to 40%, so it had to lower production levels and their personnel declined from 140 to 300 people.

Today the company produces between 200 and 250 tons of plastic per month, while its installed capacity is 700 tons of recycled material and thousand tons of plastic.

Process of making
collected plastic waste are subjected to a process of classification and washing to remove impurities. The material is cleaned with water and substances disinfectants. pressure

This cycle ends with the placement of the plastic in a centrifugal machine which heats up to an average temperature of 250 degrees celcius in which eliminates any other bacterial.

Once sterilized, the plastic melts, becomes elastic strips are then cooled, hardened and crushed in the form of u000asmall granules.

recycling, material is mixed with polypropylene (oil derivative) and material biodegradante that allows the breakdown of the other components within a maximum of 24 months once the product is discarded.

That combination of production materials is used for the manufacture of bags for use in supermarkets, shops and city councils, as well as for the production of packaging for food.

After the sheets of plastic covers and packaging are ready, products are red and subjected to the printing process of the ink microcelulosa, lead-free commercial logo.

Plastiflex, Rafael Pimentel, plant director explained that this technique allows that food products do not have contact with toxic substances which cause damage to the health of consumers that the emvases are manufactured with a triple-layer with a u000acentral layer that prevents food from contaminating.

the last part of the manufacturing process is the cutting and Assembly of the pieces coming out of the machine bent and lists for packing.

Share this article

Digg it!

del.icio.us

MySpace

Facebook

Fark

Reddit

Newsvine