Industry recycling project sees pill packaging turned into PVC fencing

Key Highlights:

• Think Fencing has partnered with Pharmacycle to recycle blister packaging collected via Pharmacycle’s drop-off points, located in pharmacies, hospitals, and local council sites right across Australia.
• Once collected, Pharmacycle weigh and sort collected material, removing any contaminants, such as unused pills or other medical packaging, to ensure that the material streams are as clean as possible.
• With plans to increase the number of collection points from 400 to 1000 by mid-2024, Pharmacycle are confident that with industry support, they will be able to continue growing the program. 

Portarlington-based Think Fencing has partnered with Pharmacycle to recycle blister packaging collected via Pharmacycle’s drop-off points, located in pharmacies, hospitals, and local council sites right across Australia. Joining early adopters, Bloom The Chemist and National Pharmacies, leading retail pharmacy chain Chemist Warehouse has recently partnered with Pharmacycle to expand the number of drop-off locations on offer, introducing the program in 100 stores across Victoria. 

Once collected, Pharmacycle weigh and sort collected material, removing any contaminants, such as unused pills or other medical packaging, to ensure that the material streams are as clean as possible. The material then undergoes a size reduction and granulation process, before the PVC (and a small volume of other plastics) are separated from the aluminium through an electrostatic separation process - the same machinery used by PanelCycle to separate aluminium composite panel (ACP) cladding. The aluminium is sent to Weston Aluminium in NSW where it is reused, while the PVC component is sent to Think Fencing. 

Significant interest in recycling 

“We are seeing significant interest from consumers, pharmacies, and the healthcare sector in being able to recycle this type of material, in part driven by the focus on blister packaging in the ABC’s ‘War on Waste’ program,” said Pharmacycle’s business development manager, Michael Klapsogiannis. 

To date, Pharmacycle has recycled over 32 tonnes of blister packaging, adding up to more than 21 million individual blister packs. And with plans to increase the number of collection points from 400 to 1000 by mid-2024, Pharmacycle are confident that with industry support, they will be able to continue growing the program. 

The Pharmacycle material is sent as a powder to Think Fencing. Using an AI-driven prototype device developed by the CSIRO, Think Fencing analyses the material to understand key material properties because each batch varies slightly depending on the level and type of contamination. The results of this analysis are used to optimize the mix of the material with other recycled content streams, including credit card surplus material from Placard, window profile offcuts from VCA member aluplast, and necessary additives, to ensure the blend meets Think Fencing’s required specifications.  

“With such a variety of material streams, it’s really important that we can understand the properties of the recyclate we’re using,” said Think Fencing chief technical officer, Jack Fitzgerald. 

Gamechanger for recycled material 

“The CSIRO analyser has been a game-changer in the way we understand and incorporate recycled material.” 

Jack and his team at Think Fencing have the numbers to back it up as well. Since the introduction of the analyser, Think Fencing’s recycled content usage has increased from 15% to 85% in their primary PVC fencing ranges, and makes up a similar proportion in the soon-to-be released OneDeck decking range. 

Virgin material is used to ‘cap’ the products to ensure the same, reliable visual finish. 

Given that the cost of the recycled feedstock used by Think Fencing is almost 70% cheaper than the virgin material they used to source, they are looking to use a variety of other recycled PVC materials, including PVC pipe scrap, playing cards, and vinyl flooring.  

“This collaboration highlights the recycling potential of diverse product types when they’re kept out of mixed waste streams - given that existing recycling infrastructure is currently ill-equipped to manage these materials effectively,” added Vinyl Council of Australia chief executive, Jim Coulston. 

Think Fencing’s willingness to recycle everyday materials into durable, high-performing products has seen overwhelmingly positive public support. At a recent trade expo, several attendees were visibly shocked to learn that the Pharmacycle blister packaging was being reused within PVC fencing. 

Increasing desire for recycled content 

And with the increasing desire for recycled content in consumer products and the increasing analytical efficiency at Think Fencing to match, the company is forecasting significant growth, with plans to develop a new recycling plant and warehousing facility in Victoria and warehousing facility in Brisbane to allow more PVC products to be collected and recycled. Funding and industry partners are being sought to support this growth. 

The CSIRO analyser is currently undergoing a patent process, with a formal demonstration of the technology to be presented by CSIRO’s Melissa Skidmore at the PVC AUS 2024 conference in June.