AO invests £2m into Telford plastics plant
Online electricals retailer AO has invested over £2m into a new extruder at its state-of-the-art plastics processing plant.
AO opened its fridge recycling plant in Telford, in 2017, becoming the only UK retailer with its own, wholly owned recycling plant. The plant recycles roughly one fifth of all the fridges that are thrown away each year - more than 500k fridges annually.
Fridges are broken up inside a huge machine called Bertha and the output makes its way to the nearby plastics recycling and refining facility, which uses state-of-the-art electrostatic and sink-float technology to separate and sort around 10,000 tonnes of fridge plastic annually.
The facility also boasts an on-site laboratory for full quality assurance and helps AO maintain RecyClass, WEEELABEX and ISO accreditations at the site. A series of rigorous tests, completed on every bag and batch, demonstrate consistency in mechanical properties and colour, also extending to XRF testing. This provides confidence to customers for the plastics’ durability and suitability for injection moulding and thermoforming.
After a six-month optimisation period, the new extruder is now in full production and allows AO to produce high-quality HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) pellets - which can be used to make a wide range of new products.
Rob Sant, group recycling director at AO, said: “We’re delighted to finally have the extruder fully operational. It marks a significant step forward in our circular capabilities and will allow us to create more substantial, longer-lasting products.
“After a successful optimisation period, it is consistently producing high-grade plastic pellets and we’re really excited about all of the new possibilities that this investment has opened up for us.”
