Oceanize doubles capacity with a new production line. More and more fishing and aquaculture plastics are being recycled and provide Norwegian jobs in the circular economy. The company can now increase the recycling capacity to 7,000 tonnes of plastic every year. This means less need for exports of aquaculture plastic.
With support from Innovation Norway and the Trade's Environmental Fund, Oceanize is establishing its second line for plastic recycling. The plant is designed to recycle the plastic resources in ropes, a process that sees the light of day after extensive research and development work in the company.
-The project aims to be able to transform discarded plastic resources from ropes into a high-quality raw material, regardless of the purity of the ropes. This is expertise that does not exist in Norway, but which is acquired in the project, says Trude Vareide-Giskås, project manager in Oceanize.
The process involves a specially designed washing line and melting process that will ensure high quality of all ropes to be recycled, regardless of purity.
Norway must to a greater extent take responsibility for its own plastic waste
Oceanize already has established processes for obtaining and processing nets and pipes from aquaculture, now the company's recycling capacity is doubled to over 7,000 tonnes of plastic per year. The result is that the aquaculture plastic is guaranteed national transparent treatment with associated national value creation and documented climate benefits.
Handelens Miljøfond aims to contribute to 50 percent of all plastic waste in Norway being recycled, a doubling from the current level. This requires, among other things, that Norwegian recyclers produce far larger quantities of recycled plastic of a quality that the industry demands.
-This was the reason why in 2020 we supported this project. We can now congratulate Oceanize on doubling its capacity to 7,000 tonnes per year. Norway must to a greater extent take responsibility for its own plastic waste, and keep the resources in a circular economy, and this is a solid step in the right direction, says Lars Brede Johansen, head of the Trade's environmental fund.
Innovation Norway has also chosen to support the project and justifies this with Oceanize expertise as one of the main reasons.
-Oceanize has developed significant expertise in plastic recycling, both through current operations and participation in several R&D projects, and is a recognized player in the industry. It is a big environmental challenge that large amounts of plastic are placed in landfills or incinerated so this is really good news for the industry. This is innovation at an international level and our assessment is that if anyone is to be able to develop a method for recycling dirty ropes, it is them, says Vigdis Tuseth in Innovation Norway Trøndelag.
National value creation
For several Norwegian plastics producers, Oceanize's development is welcome, as the supply of recycled raw materials has been limited in Norway. One of the manufacturers that has tested the plastic from recycled ropes is Pla-Mek in Sykkylven.
-Today, 35-40% of our consumption of raw materials comes from recycled materials and we are constantly working to increase this share. For us, therefore, Oceanize development is a welcome addition, says Kai Roger Bjørdal in PLA-MEK.
In Norway, large recyclable plastic resources have been exported. Now the export of ropes will no longer be necessary as national treatment has been established through Oceanize. At the same time, the general manager of the company emphasizes that this is just the beginning. Recycling line two is now being established, but the company aims for more lines in the years to come, with a goal of a recycling capacity of more than 20,000 tonnes of plastic per year. -Our further growth depends on cooperation in the value chain and trust in the market. We will equip Norwegian aquaculture to handle their plastic waste. The best insurance is that the waste is not exported, but that the plastic ends up with us, concludes Øyvind Sandnes in Oceanize