Plastic Pollution’s Silo Solution

As part of initiatives to reduce plastic loss to the environment, Barton Fabrications has seen unprecedented demand for its aluminium silos for storage of plastic raw material.

Users are increasingly moving from bag supply to bulk deliveries and silo storage. This avoids raw material losses which arise from moving bags, which can split during handling, or spills from hoppers during refilling which result in dropped raw material blowing away or being swept up and finding its way to watercourses or landfill.

Commenting on increased environmental awareness regarding plastic and the correlating demand for storage vessels, Mark Barton, Managing Director of Barton Fabrications – the UK’s largest aluminium silo manufacturer said:

“The issue of plastics in the oceans has a high media profile and David Attenborough’s Blue Planet 2 has been given credit for significantly raising public awareness. Plastic industry initiatives, such as Operation Clean Sweep® which aims to reduce plastic pellet loss to the environment and is led in the UK by the British Plastics Federation, have been in existence for over 25 years. More recently, initiatives such as the UK Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan (launched at the start of 2018) and the Commonwealth Blue Charter (agreed in April this year) are keeping the issue high on the political agenda.”

Barton Fabrications reports that, over the last two years, the company has seen increasing demand for aluminium silos for storage of plastic raw materials. Customers are keen to reduce material spillage, manual handling and the overall costs of feedstock. The company observes that using silo storage and adopting innovative in-silo design solutions helps ensure granules and nurdles can’t escape into the environment, it also reduces handling and raw material costs for businesses.

In addition to the switch from bag to silo storage, Barton Fabrications has seen continued interest in the company’s in-silo blender system, which provides the moulder with greater feedstock homogeneity when using plastic regrind. The innovative silo design ensures mixing occurs during material discharge without the need for additional mechanical devices.

Barton Fabrications
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