Banzo is specialized in the engineering and, installation of conveyors, handling- and separation systems for household, construction and (plastic) waste. Larive supported Banzo with a feasibility study for plastic waste recycling in Cambodia. 

Plastic waste recycling

Plastics are an important part of everyday life and have become the workhorse of modern economies. Based on its low cost and strong functional properties, the use of plastics has increased twenty-fold over the past fifty years. Expectations are that its use will double again over the next twenty years. Although plastics has many benefits to its users there are significant drawbacks as well. For example, 95% of plastic packaging is used only once, which translates into a total worth of 80 to 120 billion USD per year that is lost to the worldwide economy and having a major impact on the environment. Worldwide, only 32% of plastic packaging systems is being collected, endangering water systems and accumulating in urban areas. By 2050, oceans are expected to contain more plastics than fish (by weight). Furthermore, the plastics industry consumes 20% of total oil production and accounts for 15% of global carbon emissions.

One way to decrease the impact of plastics on our environment is recycling used plastics into new products. One of the found partners runs a plastic strap production plant in Bangkok, Thailand. The input source for the production process of plastic straps can be either virgin or recycled plastics. The price for virgin plastics fluctuates mainly according to oil prices and the development of Chinese economy, the main market for inputs and recycled plastics. In general, the prices for plastics are expected to increase over the next decades due to a strong increase of demand. From this customer perspective, The partner has realized the value of local plastic recycling in order to create a constant and stable supply of their raw materials (granulates) and would like to jump into this promising opportunity and by investing in its own plastic recycling plant.

The feasibility study 

Larive and Banzo conducted a feasibility study to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of an investment in a plastic waste recycling facility in Cambodia, which offers a localized solution to manufacture high-quality raw materials (granulates) on a large scale at a competitive price. 

Special emphasis in the feasibility study has been paid to prove that post-consumer plastic foil LDPE can be technically recycled into a high-quality plastic regranulates with a higher efficiency in a sustainable and economic way than, reducing the need for virgin material. This insight has been translated into a concept business case.

Read further in the blog ”Lessons learned on the challenge of plastics in Asia’

The team was enthusiastic, smart, passionate, committed, extremely curious and eager to learn. Competences that you need to make the impossible possible. They connect people and bring out the best. In this way, Larive is able to initiate and ultimately realize successful projects. Marcel Kroon, Owner Banzo Engineering