UK plastic ancillaries supplier Summit Systems has partnered with a pioneer in reducing the problem of ocean plastics – after connecting on LinkedIn.
Kieran Kelly and the RIO Oceans Integrity team
Summit Systems has announced its partnership with RIO Oceans Integrity, an organisation which aims to help mitigate further plastic pollution and rid oceans, beaches, and rivers of difficult-to-recycle waste plastic around the world. Part of the group’s mission is to develop new recycling opportunities to prevent plastic materials from entering the waste stream, and educate communities internationally on combatting plastic deposits in the ocean.
Leading the way with this initiative from Summit Systems is materials specialist Dan Jordan, alongside RIO’s CEO Kieran Kelly.
Jordan was first introduced to Kelly in September 2021, after Kieran posted a request on LinkedIn for a UK recycling professional to help oversee the collection and recycling of 1200 tons of plastic film disposable aprons. These aprons had been over-ordered and were out-of-specification, having been initially purchased for the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aprons were en route to landfill due to high storage costs.
Summit stepped in, and 50% of the profits from the group’s NHS apron recycling initiative was invested into RIO – making Summit Systems a key investor of this green initiative. The team at Summit Systems say they are keen to share this mission with the plastics industry to raise awareness and increase support.
With the money invested, RIO is removing substantial amounts of plastic from the rivers and oceans in the Jakarta region of Indonesia, one of the most polluted nations on the planet. These plastics consist of food wraps and laminate packaging which have zero commercial value, and are challenging to recycle using traditional methods. At RIO, the plastic collected is blended into aggregate, creating building blocks, which can be used to build houses for local communities.
Jordan said: “Kieran's infectious passion and drive to really clean up our oceans has motivated me to get involved with RIO, so we can tell the next generation that we really did try to fix this global problem. Actions speak louder than words, and that is what drew me in to RIO. I am excited to be part of the change.”
The ocean plastics collected by RIO are predominantly low grade, challenging plastics. Typically, bottles are not the issue, but rather laminate films and flexible food packaging. These grades cannot be recycled into everyday items due to contamination and mixed polymer types.
Kieran Kelly, CEO of Oceans Integrity, “Here at RIO we can collect significantly large volumes as opposed to other clean-up operations. We are focused on empowering fishermen and working with local people to facilitate the collection of excessive amounts of material.”
To learn more or get involved, contact Dan Jordan on dan.jordan@summitsystems.co.uk.