Could recycled plastics supply three-quarters of UK demand?

As a whole, the UK consumes over 3.3 million tonnes of plastic products every year, and for many industries plastic is a necessity. So, the prospect of three-quarters of this being replaced with recycled plastics is an appealing thought for many of us.

Currently, the UK is only recycling 9% of the total amount of plastic we use; the rest is exported to be recycled abroad.

Recently a report from Green Alliance stated putting taxes onto products made from ‘virgin’ plastics could encourage an additional 2 million tonnes of plastics to be recycled in the UK, and used within our industries.
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Posted on October 22, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic and the environment. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

High Impact Polystyrene – What You Need to Know

High Impact Polystyrene is one of the many materials we can use in the plastic extrusion process, but what actually is this material and why is it useful?

What is it?

HIPS (High Impact Polystyrene) is a type of thermoplastic; this means that is it mouldable when heated and solidifies when it cools.

Most people are familiar with general polystyrene, the difference between this and HIPS is that HIPS has been modified with rubber to make it more impact resistant.

The popularity of this material is down to its versatility, high impact strength and rigidity.
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Posted on October 10, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in High Impact Polystyrene. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

Get to Know Rayda Plastics

This blog is something a little different from our usual posts, but we thought it was time to let you in on our family-run firm so that you can learn a little bit more about Rayda Plastics.

Our Premises

Rayda Plastics was founded in 1976 by Ray Vincent and has been continually growing ever since. Our first home was a 2,500 sq ft unit, from which we supplied the local Devon area with our products, mainly used in the agriculture and fishing industry.
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Posted on October 2, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Company Information. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

Plastic Innovation: Tesco’s Big Step for Recycling

There are plastic innovations left, right and centre, but this one has caught a lot of people’s eye. Maybe because Tesco is such a large, influential company and this step is the first of its kind for Supermarkets.

What Did Tesco Do?

A Tesco Extra store in Scotland has recently used a slightly different approach to resurfacing their car park: in the form of recycled plastics.
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Posted on September 13, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic Innovations. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

TPV: Is It Rubber or Plastic?

TPV is the new material which has bridged the gap between plastics and rubber. Increasingly designers are turning to TPV as their material of choice, but why is this hybrid becoming so popular?

What is TPV?

TPV, also known by its full name of Thermoplastic Vulcanisate, is a form of rubber which has been vulcanised during the compounding process. This means that the polymers are converted into more durable materials through the introduction of crosslinks.
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Posted on August 28, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic Innovations. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

What You Need to Know About Prime Polymers Containing Recycled Content

A prime polymer is the natural source of the polymer; this means it will be the pure form of the polymer. Whereas when a prime polymer contains recycled content, it is using polymers that have been previously used.

Historically, recycled content meant the polymer would be traded at a lower value compared to the same prime pure polymers. This decrease in value is associated with a few key points:
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Posted on August 14, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic Properties. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

PVC vs PVCu – What’s the difference?

PVC and PVCu are two common plastic polymers for use in everyday life, but some people are unaware they these polymers have many similarities but are also very different in the properties that they hold.

PVC

PVC is the most commonly used thermoplastic in everyday life; most people will have heard of this polymer. It is also known by its full name: Polyvinyl Chloride.
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Posted on July 25, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic Properties. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

Plastic Innovation – The Protective “Goo”

There are always plenty of innovations happening in the world of plastics, but one that recently caught our eye was this protective “goo”. It may seem a little odd, but the science behind this new product is incredibly clever.

What Is It?

This protective substance has been designed and manufactured by the company D30. They have called this substance the Impact Additive and it combines advanced polymer chemistry to achieve the protective features when mixed with TPR (Thermoplastics Rubber).

It allows traditional TRP products to have added impact protection without impacting the comfort or flexibility of the product. This plastic is even sustainable in extremely hot or cold conditions.
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Posted on July 19, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic Innovations. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

What is the Plastic Extrusion Process?

Plastics can take many different forms and have a variety of properties, but all end products start off as the raw material: resin. The process can be complicated and take many forms, but there are a few basic steps which all plastic extrusion processes follow.

Step One

The raw materials are fed into a hopper which goes to the extruder; this is located at the top of the machine. This means that gravity will feed the pellets into the barrel of the extruder. At this moment in the process, any additives or colourants are added into the mix when appropriate for the outcome.
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Posted on June 27, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic Extrusion. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment

The UK Launches Innovation Hub to Tackle Single Use Plastic Waste

In May 2018, the UK launched a plastic innovation hub along with other Commonwealth countries. The UK will play a leading role in the designing and the implication of the framework that this hub will use.

The Issue with Single-Use Plastics

You have probably seen the issue that the world is facing in the News or read about it in an article because the story is everywhere at the moment and for a good reason. The issue is the plastic waste that is polluting the world’s oceans and the marine life within these waters.
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Posted on June 11, 2018 by Rayda Plastics | This entry was posted in Plastic and the environment. Bookmark the permalink. | Leave a comment