Boomerang Plastics
Owner Mike Jordan has made the difficult decision to close recycling business, Boomerang Plastics. Pictured here, materials waiting to be processed taken by BP&R during a factory visit in 2012.
The owner of a plastics recycling business says it was with a “heavy heart” that he made the final decision to close the company.
Mike Jordan says the decision to close Boomerang Plastics was not one he took lightly, but circumstances surrounding an arson attack in 2014, plummeting oil prices and a difficult domestic recycling market made the cessation of the business inevitable.
“We are of course disappointed with the outcome, but, we have learnt some valuable lessons and have walked away ensuring all our creditors were paid,” explained Jordan, who is also Managing Director of UK ancillaries company, Summit Systems. “We will now be focusing on driving forward our successful new recycling systems business, ‘Summit Recycling Systems’, which will design and build MRF and PRF sorting plants.”
Established in 2011, Boomerang expanded rapidly on the back of a contract to process used plastic yoghurt pots from dairy food manufacturer, Müller. The recycling business comprised a unique processing line developed to separate the unusual mixture of part-clean plastic pots, yoghurt, printed wrappers, card and foil.
The initial line, which addressed the issue of multiple materials and colours, was established with the help of Warwick University. It harnessed cutting edge density separation technology, cold washing, hot washing, chemical separation and colour picking. Specialist software was used to map out the design intricacies of the plant.
Boomerang sourced premises in Tamworth, centrally located to Müller’s Midland Dairy network and suited to the industrial size equipment required for high volume processing. Its parent company, Summit Systems, led the installation sourcing equipment from a variety of international destinations, and linking the line together via its team of in-house technical experts.
The plant became operational in March 2011 and was soon up to speed, processing 150-200 tonnes of waste per week at a quality that enabled circulation back into the packaging chain.
However, an arson attack in 2014 led to relocation, where electricity prices and insurance rocketed. Combined with the instability of oil prices and what Jordan describes as “a lack of incentive to recycle in the UK”, the final decision to close the business was made at the end of 2015.
“We were buffered by our core ancillary business doing so well, thanks in part to a new partnership with Tria granulators that led to our biggest order ever. It was with a heavy heart we closed the door but I now have the freedom to focus on making our service even better for our customers. The experience has helped our other businesses by providing insight and a very detailed understanding of the recycling chain.” Jordan concluded.
For details of the Boomerang equipment on sale, please email ian.lowe@summitsystems.co.uk.