Wimao – Recycling plastic waste

The global waste problem is reaching all-time highs; every day, new statistics and studies are revealing the true depth of the global waste problem that is impacting communities across the world. Food and water contamination, crop failures, disease and an increasing amount of pollutants in the air, land and ground are a rampant problem that needs immediate action. One of the most common sources of waste in the environment today is plastics, which are used in almost every aspect of consumer life from single-use plastics such as straws and wrappers to construction materials and countless products in between.

To understand the gravity of the situation, consider that Greenpeace UK estimates that a total of 12.7 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean each year–that statistic is plastics alone, without including other waste and contaminants.

The global waste problem is reaching new and dangerous heights. The growing impact of waste on the environment is now reaching levels that experts are calling the tipping point for the future of the environment. However, the question now remains: What is being done about the global waste problem? And what can be done about it? In response to the global waste crisis, many countries are now creating strategies and road maps for reducing plastic consumption and ensuring smarter plastic consumption through banning single-use plastics and other types of common plastic debris that end up contaminating the oceans. Countries are also looking for solutions that will convert current plastic waste into new materials in order to avoid adding pollutants through the air through incineration or pollutants into the ground via landfills or burial.

These solutions and strategies include advocating for reducing the amount of littering along with massive product consumption; introducing taxes and fines associated with the use of plastic; improving the recovery and recycling of plastic waste; improving how plastic waste is sorted and identified, especially in relation to building construction; improving and strengthening recycling and plastic replacement standards; and improving the focus on plastic replacement solutions on an international scale, all while continuing to research how plastics impact the environment and even our own health.

The innovative waste management solutions being sought by countries around the world are exactly where Wimao Ltd comes in. Wimao Ltd is setting a new standard for recycling and waste management; a standard which aims to reduce the amount of discarded waste that often results in pollutants via incineration and other disposal methods which are harmful to the environment.

Ville Immonen, the Managing Director of Wimao Ltd, explains their unique business model:

“WIMAO is flipping the “take, make and dispose of” model on its head and helping EU member states meet their ambitious targets to recycle up to 75% of waste by 2023. In the past 3 years, we at WIMAO have put our careers in recycling to use by developing REMAT: a patented technology to turn non-recyclable mixed plastic waste streams and other non-recycled materials into environmentally friendly composite products. Our products have the full consistency and the same physical properties as composites produced with virgin raw materials. Beyond that, the end products we manufacture are recyclable at the end of their life cycle, creating an infinite and environmentally conscious loop.

 

Our pilot REMAT facility started production in 2018. In our facility, we are taking wood waste and mixed plastic waste that is not wanted by the recycling industry and transforming it into composite products. The total available raw material (waste streams) for our products is calculated in billions of tons, giving us a nearly unlimited growth potential. If the capacity of our REMAT plants were to match this potential supply, we could ideally replace all composite products on the market with our recycled composite raw material.

 

WIMAO is uniquely positioned to create a new standard operating mode for the recycling industry. Our breakthrough was created through high-value materials from many mixed inputs, effectively surmounting the key barrier for recycling: the need to separate waste streams. We have the only technology versatile enough to handle the volumes of waste that Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) collect, exactly as they receive it. Our technology is a radically new opportunity to push Europe (and eventually the globe) towards its circular economy.”

Wimao’s unique patented technology allows for multiple waste materials to be recycled and converted into a new composite product. These composite products meet the durability and use standards of current products, all while having the added benefit of being recyclable and more environmentally conscious.

The primary waste materials utilized by Wimao’s technology include waste materials typically considered difficult to recycle even by the most dedicated recycling facilities. These materials would ordinarily be discarded via landfills or incineration rather than being put to any environmentally friendly use; in fact, incineration and other disposal methods frequently used by waste management companies to handle materials that they can’t recycle contribute to the amount of pollutants and waste in the environment. This negative environmental impact is what Wimao Ltd wants to address with its technology, which can eliminate the need for waste disposal that harms the environment.

In addition to utilizing these often discarded waste materials, Wimao is turning the waste management model on its head by its ability to process mixed materials without the need to separate them before the recycling process begins. This allows for a significant reduction in the amount of labor required to recycle the waste materials, which ordinarily would need to be separated before recycling production could begin.

The pilot Wimao manufacturing plant is operating out of South Karelia Finland and is currently working with the partnership of a local waste management company. The current output of the facility includes multiple composite products, with new products being planned for future production. The continued production of new composite products is designed to meet an increasing demand for environmentally friendly waste solutions; rather than add to the amount of discarded waste in the environment, the composite waste products created by Wimao’s patented technology can be recycled and remade again and again, creating an infinite (and environmentally friendly) loop.

Wimao plans to offer a comprehensive service package which will be available to clientele on a global level. This comprehensive service package will include a scalable production plant built to the specific needs and preferences of the clientele in mind. Wimao anticipates that its primary clientele will be waste management companies who are looking for environmentally friendly solutions to managing waste that would ordinarily not be recycled. Wimao’s service package plans will also include ready sales channels for the final composite products, along with complete customer support and maintenance services. Clientele who are interested in expanding their composite products can also hire Wimao to develop new products and materials in the future.

The problem of unabated global waste is a serious one. Experts estimate that the amount of annual global waste will grow by 70% by the year 2050 unless significant, urgent action is taken by companies around the world to reduce their plastic consumption and waste generation while incorporating waste replacement solutions.

Ville Immonen, the Managing Director of Wimao Ltd, on the future of Wimao Ltd:

“As of now we’re planning on establishing several new production plants in Finland in co-operation with the local waste management companies. The next step is to enter the global markets, where we have already had some preliminary talks with some very interesting companies.”

Wimao Ltd is taking action by introducing innovative technology that creates an ecologically friendly solution to traditional plastic recycling. With the success of their pilot plant, Wimao Ltd plans to expand their operations rapidly in order to fully address the global waste crises. And they won’t be keeping their technology to themselves, either: they plan on offering their technology to waste management companies around the world who need better solutions to their current amount of discarded, non-recycled waste.