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Hair spray, spray paint, rust remover – all these products are sold in aerosol cans. They can be found in households, workshops and businesses and are being used all the time – but what happens to them when they are no longer needed?
What people shouldn’t do is to throw them into their residual waste bin or recycling bin. Aerosol cans are listed as hazardous waste whether they are empty, partially full or full and there are strict regulations about how they should be processed. Households must hand them in to centres that accept hazardous waste. Industrial and commercial businesses are obliged, by law, to store their used aerosols in special containers and ensure they are disposed of and/or recycled properly. REMONDIS Industrie Service’s RESPRAY division provides its customers with a system of containers that fulfils all these rules and regulations. The containers have special antistatic, perforated liners and various vents to eliminate any danger of explosions whilst they are in use. This is vital as the propellants – propane, butane and dimethyl ether – are highly inflammable and can cause an explosion if they come into contact with oxygen.
Aerosols are hazardous waste whether they are empty, partially full or full; there are strict regulations about how they should be stored, transported and recycled
A quick glance at the recycling market, however, makes it very clear that the majority of people are unaware of these risks. Only ten percent of the 1.3 billion aerosol cans produced in Germany each year are recycled using safe and eco-friendly means. Until just recently, many recycling facilities were already working to full capacity despite this low figure. Three years ago, REMONDIS set about finding a solution to this problem.
“Quite apart from the risks that these cans pose – risks that really shouldn’t be taken lightly – aerosols contain valuable materials, some of which can be recycled again and again and again. Recycling them, therefore, is good for both the environment and the economy and helps conserve natural resources.”
Robert Sonnenschein, Managing Director of REMONDIS Industrie Service
The result of this research work is a specialised, state-of-the-art recycling plant from Canada which began operations in the Bramsche Industrial Recycling Centre in July. RESPRAY decided to invest in this new technology to further extend its leading position on the market as well as to drive the market as a whole. “Quite apart from the risks that these cans pose – risks that really shouldn’t be taken lightly – aerosols contain valuable materials, some of which can be recycled again and again and again. Recycling them, therefore, is good for both the environment and the economy and helps conserve natural resources,” commented Robert Sonnenschein, managing director of REMONDIS Industrie Service, who had travelled to the Canadian city of Ontario in 2013 to visit the manufacturer and find out more about their technology. He was impressed by what he saw: 6,500 tonnes of aerosols processed every year, a technology that recycles, a safer environment for the workforce and a lower energy bill.
This exclusive technology has clearly increased the amount of materials recovered for recycling: a compressor liquefies the extracted propellant gas so it can be used as a source of energy – just like any residual substances left in the aerosol cans. The machine (operated at 300 bar and under inert conditions) compacts the metals into round briquettes. These are then sent straight to industrial businesses. “This truly is a milestone in the recycling of aerosols,” concluded Robert Sonnenschein.
80 guests were invited to Bramsche Industrial Recycling Centre to see the new plant being officially opened by managing directors Robert Sonnenschein (left) and Klaus Scherler (2nd right)