Wild Trash Becomes Wild Trash Bags

THE STARTING POINT:

There are still many countries that do not have an appropriate waste infrastructure. Plastics and other valuable materials are not collected, let alone recycled. The result is polluted roadside ditches, rivers, and beaches, such as in Ghana, India, or Indonesia.

THE IDEA:

The idea from our partner WILDPLASTIC was to recover this wild plastic from the environment to make recycled trash bags. To this end, they cooperate in fair partnerships with plastic collection organizations in many parts of the world. Our partner buys the plastic from the organizations and uses it to make new products, such as the WILDBAG. As well as cleaning up wild plastic, they save up to 70% CO₂ with their products and help improve the working conditions of local collectors.

EVONIK’S SOLUTION:

The project requires the recycling of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a plastic previously considered too inferior to be recycled. In other words, this is uncharted territory for recycling. The collected residual materials are also usually heavily contaminated. These impurities make themselves unpleasantly noticeable later in film production, as they weaken the material and make it tear in the film machine.

This is when Evonik stepped in to provide development assistance. Together with our partner, we have developed an efficient and robust recycling process that has removed all obstacles and can now be implemented by WILDPLASTIC producers. At the same time, we have opened the door to Evonik’s global network for WILDPLASTIC. After all, the company is not a multimillion-dollar corporation, but a dynamic, committed start-up.

PROJECT STATUS:

The product has been well received on the market: WILDBAG is the name of the recycled trash bags made from wild plastic. Each WILDBAG clears up about as much plastic as it weighs. Feel free to tidy up with WILDBAG and order your next trash bags at wildplastic.com.

Latest News: In partnership with WILDPLASTIC, a leading European mail-order company is currently converting its shipping bags to wild plastic.

OUR PARTNER:

As an agile start-up from Germany with great ambitions, WILDPLASTIC is truly “wild” about cleaning up the world in fair partnerships. In addition to environmental and social aspects, they also care about the way their trash bags are lovingly designed.

YOUR CONTACT:

Would you like to dive even deeper into the subject? You can satisfy your thirst for knowledge on the websites of our department. Or get in touch with our team of experts: In Kathrin Lehmann, you will find an experienced contact person.