Business Support to Baylis Recycling

A support contract on behalf of WRAP to assist Baylis Recycling, one of the leading companies in the UK for collection and sorting of post-use plastic packaging. Overall business activities were reviewed and improvements made to processes and procedures, culminating in the development of a Quality Management System (QMS). This included specifications for sorted waste plastic streams: PET bottles, HDPE bottles, LDPE films and instructions and process diagrams for collection and sorting operations.

The value of sorted plastic waste streams depends on the way the material is offered to recyclers, being determined by logistics costs and the composition of the sorted materials.

Some types of pollution in the material are not allowed. Other types of pollution (those that can be removed automatically in a mechanical recycling process) are allowed, although they may reduce the value if present in high percentages. If products can be delivered to known specifications, then clear contracts can be made and discussions on quality issues or refusal of loads are prevented.

RED was tasked with developing a QMS and specifications for sorted waste plastic streams: PET bottles, HDPE bottles, LDPE films and with developing instructions for collection and sorting operations, including process diagrams. These instructions allowed basic rules for separations in collection systems to be made and so could be used to provide instructions for waste collectors, who are responsible for separate collection of waste streams.

RED undertook the following:

• Site visits, familiarisation meetings and review of Baylis operations to identify key issues relating to product quality and realisation;
• The analysis of existing specifications for sorted plastic, fit for use in the operations of mechanical recyclers in respect of PET bottles, HDPE bottles and LDPE films;
• Development of processes and procedures controlling the activities from collection through to sorting in respect of product realisation, resulting in the development of a QMS which included:
  - Instructions for the collection of waste plastic;
  - Instructions for the sorting operation for PET bottles, HDPE bottles and LDPE.