Description
The Australian automotive industry consumes 196, 800 tonnes of plastic annually and only 3800 tonnes of this is recovered giving the industry a recycling rate of just 1.9%.
We are Boxhead Plastics, an incorporated not-for-profit social enterprise, facilitating pathways for the Australian automotive industry to recycle more of this plastic waste. We are looking for funding to expand our scrap plastic car bumper bar collection program from the Sydney area to other areas, such as Newcastle. Areas outside the metropolitan area of Sydney have very limited access to scrap plastic car bumper bar recycling services and have no option but to send this plastic to landfill. Offering our collection service to other areas will help us work toward achieving our vision of collecting every scrap plastic car bumper bar in Australia for recycling and re-manufacturing.
My name is Bec Healy, founder of Boxhead Plastics. From 15-years of public service I retrained as a Polymer Technician and pioneered an innovative process that repurposes plastic waste car bumper bars into golf tees and coasters (see www.naiteev.com). Since 2020, Boxhead Plastics has provided a closed loop system of plastic car bumper bar collection, recycling, and remanufacturing, having already recycled 2.6 tonnes of car bumper bars and sold over 40,000 golf tees. Our skilled team has forged a chain of local industry relationships that allow us to reliably manage this bulk waste item at each stage of the remanufacturing cycle.
Our Purple Card Project aim is to reach areas, such as Wallsend, NSW, that have no options to recycle their scrap plastic car bumper bars, because of their remoteness to facilities that can recycle this bulk waste item.
Our aim is to collect 150 scrap plastic car bumper bars from Steve Koulis smash repair business, diverting them from landfill, and transporting them to our recycler in Seven Hills, NSW. With your help, we will be able to divert more than half a tonne of plastic waste from landfill.
Details
Organistation involved: Boxhead Plastics
People involved: One person – industry award
Time involved: One day 7am – 3pm
Objective: To collect approximately 150 scrap plastic car bumper bars from Steve Koulis Smash Repair, and transport them to JK Plastics Recycler Seven Hills, NSW.
Impact: To divert 525kg of plastic waste from landfill.
The Budget ($600 total):
- Hire of a Small Moving Van from Sixt: $120
- Fuel: $110
- Insurance: $40
- Labour: (industry award, 1 person, 8 hours): $258
- Tolls: $54
- Payment processing fees estimate: $18