Recyclable Plastic Packaging

Recyclable plastics
How to recycle our product packaging

Recycling our product packaging

Whilst we are dedicated to supplying sustainable high performance insulation solutions for enhanced energy efficiency in buildings, we also continually strive for improvements in our manufacturing and supply chain operations to improve quality and minimise our impact on the environment.

The way that plastic is categorised is very complex due to different grading. All of our product packaging is low-density polyethylene (LDPE4) plastic, which is fully recyclable. To reduce the amount of wastage, we bale and recycle all of our overwrap packaging material that cannot, for one reason or another, be used to package our insulation. 

Unfortunately, not all local authorities currently offer a recycling service through curb side collection, which may make it slightly more difficult for individual users to recycle the packaging. Larger customers may be able to engage with a waste management company to organise the collection of packaging.

As a general rule, if your Local Authority mentions any of the following, you can recycle our packaging*:

  • Bread bags
  • Frozen food bags
  • Squeezable bottles
  • Bubble wrap
  • Carrier bags that can be stretched

*Please check with your local authority before attempting to recycle our product packaging.

A SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT

Our improved compression technology means fewer vehicles on the roads and less plastic packaging per m2 of our insulation, but we haven’t stopped there.

We’ve also cut down on the ink in our packaging designs, and we are introducing a new film with a minimum of 30% recycle plastic content, which means the plastic we do use is even easier to recycle.

  • Less vehicles on the roads
  • Less plastic packaging
  • Less ink
  • Less harmful packaging

Learn more about our compression technology here

Top tips for recycling LDPE:

LDPE plastics can be recycled to become many new types of product for a variety of uses in your life, including: compost bins, garbage cans and liners, furniture, panelling, plastic lumber/wood, shipping envelopes

Ensuring that your plastic ends up in the recycling chain instead of the solid waste stream is easy with these recycling tips:

  • Curb side recycling: Like HDPE plastics, many LDPE plastics are accepted through your local curb side recycling program. Just check with your recycling program office to ensure that this is true. Some, however, will accept things like milk cartons and food container lids, but they will not accept LDPE plastic bags so be sure to clarify when talking to them.

  • Supermarket return programs: Some supermarkets accept LDPE plastic bags for recycling.

  • Reuse: In many cases, you can reuse old plastic food containers to store more food, use for kids crafts, store office supplies, and so on. If you can’t recycle these plastics using either method above, look for way to use it around your home so that you don’t send them to the landfill.

What else is Knauf Insulation doing to reduce plastic waste?

For a number of years now we have been reducing the amount of plastic we use as a company.

We've made our overwrap thinner than ever and ensured our packaging is 'machine direction orientated', resulting in less elasticity whilst still effectively compressing and protecting our products.

We use the most advanced packaging compression, achieving a maximum of 10:1 compression rate. This means we have more insulation per pack and more insulation can be loaded on each truck, resulting in less trucks on the roads, and less storage and handling for our customers. However, to achieve this level of compression, we have to use robust plastics that can handle the process. Using LDPE4 means that the majority of our packaging can be recycled whilst still being able to achieve maximum compression, ensuring we are sustainable as a company.

We have also sought to reduce unused plastics, off cuts and waste which has resulted in less plastic being involved in our manufacturing and packaging process.