August 2022

Why You Should Invest in Recycled Plastic Furniture

News / By DCW Polymers / Leave a Comment / 30/08/2022

With the topic of global warming becoming increasingly important, it’s integral that we look at different ways in which we can contribute positively to the environment. Scientists have warned for years now that the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere is having a destructive effect on our planet. When making positive lifestyle changes to benefit the environment, recycling should certainly not be overlooked. Recycling prevents materials from going to landfills and instead allows us to use these materials to create an entirely different product. One primary example of this could be recycled plastic furniture.

Find out why you should invest in recycled plastic furniture and how DCW Polymers can make this possible!

Benefits the Environment

It goes without saying that the main benefit of recycled plastic furniture is that it doesn’t harm the environment. This type of furniture is made by processing plastic into granules, which is then finally put through an extrusion machine to create both practical and sustainable garden furniture. Considering that recycled plastic furniture uses materials that already exist within our environment, this minimises the amount of energy we use and reduces the need for landfills. If you’re trying to become more environmentally conscious, then recycled plastic furniture could be just the thing for you!

Appearance is Key

Despite being made up of different materials, recycled plastic furniture certainly doesn’t compromise on its appearance. Whilst other types of mainstream furniture has the tendency to rot over time, you don’t have this issue because the furniture is not made of wood. This means that you can have peace of mind that you are investing in furniture that will stand the test of time. Also, wood furniture has the ability to become damaged due to fluctuations in temperature. With recycled plastic furniture, you don’t have to worry about the appearance degrading over time.

Low Maintenance

The appearance of the garden can somewhat be the pride and joy in many homes. Whether it be ensuring the plants are healthy or jet-washing the patio area, it’s undeniable that the garden area can be quite difficult to maintain. By investing in recycled plastic furniture, you can be confident that you’re receiving something that requires little to no maintenance. As aforementioned, this type of furniture is rot-free and weather resistant, meaning that you can focus on other areas of the garden to make sure it’s in the best condition possible!

At DCW Polymers, we’re a waste disposal company that knows how important it is to be environmentally friendly, which is why supply high-quality recycled plastic furniture. Using plastic waste from the South West, we have the ability to provide furniture to our customers that contributes positively to the environment without holding back on appearance or quality. Whether you’re after recycled fencing or decking, we’ve got you covered. Get in touch!

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From Woodland Waste to Sustainable Seating

Blog / By DCW Polymers / 29/08/2022

The Smiling Sheep

10 years ago, Holly and Andrei Szerard moved out of London into a beautiful thatched cottage in Copplestone in mid-Devon. From this idyllic setting, they set up The Smiling Sheep, a smallholding which is home to many animals; chickens, ducks four rare nene geese, a flock of 40 sheep, rare breed pigs, 3 cats and Bodie the dog.

The couple proudly grow a variety of fruit and vegetables here. They have a wool studio where they produce luxury woolen blankets and throws from the wool from their flock. Shortly they will be opening their luxury B&B accommodation again!

Recently, they acquired a 15 acre neighbouring woodland, which they intend to maintain as a haven of nature and tranquility. They soon set about clearing a lot of fallen trees, overgrown blackthorn and brambles, and trying to restore the woodland to a natural and useable space. It quickly became apparent that there were hundreds upon hundreds of old plastic tree guards that littered the ground!

What can you do with hundreds of old plastic tree guards?

They were stumped (excuse the pun) with what to do with these, as although they are plastic, there is no viable recycling solution in place for them due to their condition and lightweight nature of the product.

Here’s where DCW Polymers come in! One day they heard about DCW Polymers successfully recycling tree-guards from a conservation project in Cornwall, into a new bench that the conservation trust had placed back in the woodland. Andrei contacted DCW Polymers who tested their tree guards which are perfect for recycling into benches! Best of all, The Smiling Sheep decided to order 7 benches made from their own material to place back into the woodland to enjoy the beautiful views!

Next they had to collect all of the tree guards, clean off the debris and bag them up before taking them to DCW Polymers in Exeter. Here they were shredded and granulated first, then melted down in a process to create planks of recycled plastics that were finally assembled into 7 smart bench seats.

From Woodland Waste to Sustainable Seating

The benches were delivered to Andrei and Holly a couple of weeks ago, and have been placed in their positions. All of the benches are at clearings that afford stunning views of the surrounding trees and wild flowers.

They are delighted with the end results, and have spent time already using them and enjoying the fruits of their labour.

Andrei said “I am so pleased knowing that a difficult to recycle material had not only been diverted from landfill, but had been reprocessed and made into fabulous new products that will last for years to come – all within 15 minutes from home!”

There are still more tree guards to come, that DCW Polymers will make into more sustainable seats!

For more details on The Smiling Sheep, visit their website www.smilingsheep.co.uk

For more information on DCW Polymers range of sustainable recycled plastic furniture, please go to https://dcwpolymers.co.uk/products/.

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Case Study: Woodland Springs Touring Park

Blog / By DCW Polymers / 18/08/2022

Luxury Camping in Devon

This AA five star rated site is immaculately presented with generous pitches for tents, caravans, and campervans. There are even fully insulated double glazed glamping pods, for those craving a touch of luxurious comfort.

Woodland Springs is central to Dartmoor’s National Park, and close to the English Riviera. With excellent facilities and tranquil surroundings, this award-winning, rural site will definitely enrich your Devon vacation. It offers the perfect Caravan & Camping getaway designed exclusively for adults.

Since taking over in 2000 owners, Peter and Fiona have upgraded the park beautifully. Well-kept grass areas compliment young hedging, shrubs, and wildflowers that back onto existing mature trees; the new planting harmoniously fuses with the gorgeous countryside, encouraging local wildlife to setup habitats. Guests regularly enjoy the early morning chorus spotting nuthatches, greenfinches, woodpeckers and even a red kite!

Woodland Springs is a wonderful choice for dog lovers, with two exercise areas nestled within the park. A fully fenced, well-manicured 1-acre grass field, and an agility course for the more adventurous canine companion. There is a dog shower area, which includes a warm water shower that is free of charge; ideal for washing off dewy grass or muddy paws your dog might pick up during countryside walks. There is also a selection of dog food and treats are available in the on-site shop.

Recycled Plastic Dog Agility Equipment

The dog agility area features DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic dog agility equipment. The hoop, see-saw, and spider climber were exclusively handmade by DCW Polymers. Produced from recycled Polypropylene, these products offer a sustainable alternative to wood. DCW Polymers use a closed loop process to collect and manufacture plastic scrap locally; all of the work takes place in their Polymers facility in Exeter.

Peter couldn’t be happier. He said “We are absolutely delighted with the dog agility equipment DCW Polymers have manufactured for us. The equipment is in use daily on our busy caravan touring park. It has proved hugely popular with our guests and their dogs. We are particularly impressed with the quality of the equipment – the items are extremely hardwearing, well-built and completely maintenance free.”

Planning an adult only camping holiday in Devon… why not see what Woodland Springs can offer you. You can contact them by calling 01647 231648, emailing [email protected] or, by visiting their website https://woodlandsprings.co.uk and completing their online enquiry form.

DCW Polymers’ sister company DCW has been supplying waste collection services to Woodland Springs Touring Park since January 2020. Recycling is particularly important to the site, who were delighted with their “Zero to Landfill” contract.

DCW’s diligence enables Woodland Springs to achieve a 67% recycling rate from their general waste. That equates to almost four tonnes over the past 12 months alone!

By choosing DCW and DCW Polymers, to date Woodland Springs have so far saved over eleven tonnes of waste from ending up in landfill!

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Specialist Plastics Recycling firm invests £290K to strengthen the South West’s circular economy

News / By DCW Polymers / 11/08/2022

In a bid to strengthen the South West’s circular economy and to tackle throwaway culture, a leading plastics recycling and reprocessing plant has invested £290,000 in machinery and facilities at its specialist plastics reprocessing centre.

DCW Polymers has introduced a new 10,000ltr fountain blender, an extruder machine and a mezzanine to its Marsh Barton plastics recycling and reprocessing plant. Together, the machinery will increase production of DCW Polymers’ recycled plastic furniture range by 400% and create eight new jobs.

Waste plastics collected from businesses across the South West are taken to DCW Polymers where they are shredded into plastic granules by the new extruder. This material then goes back into the manufacturing process. The extruder, purchased from Boston Matthews in Worcester, allows DCW Polymers team of plastic recycling experts to process five times more plastic waste, improving productivity and keeping as much of the region’s plastic waste as possible away from landfill.

The fountain blender can blend approximately four tonnes of recycled granulated plastic at any one time. It provides a mix of material and colour suitable for the manufacturing of DCW Polymers’ recycled garden range which includes benches, dining sets, tables, chairs, fencing, decking and dog agility equipment.

To complement the new machinery, the family-run firm has invested £60,000 to build a new mezzanine which has increased the square footage of DCW Polymers by 2,880 sq ft. The extra floor provides further storage space for DCW Polymers’ recycled garden range, ensuring that products can be ready to meet the growing customer demand.

Simon Almond, DCW Polymers Managing Director, said: “We’re passionate about achieving a more circular economy in the South West. Circular economies are vital to have in place if we are to win the fight against climate change as they lower carbon emissions, reduce the use of non-renewable resources and ensure that waste is kept away from landfill sites. We’re proud of how DCW Polymers is already contributing to our region’s circular economy with our recycled garden furniture range and our recent investment will continue to drive our growth in this area.

“It’s important to us that we support the UK manufacturing industry and we were pleased to source our new extruder machine from Worcester based Boston Matthews. Our new machinery allows us to scale up production to meet the growing demand for sustainable, durable outdoor furniture which isn’t detrimental to the environment.”

A sustainable alternative to timber, the plastic furniture and products are maintenance free, will not rot, splinter or corrode and will not require painting or treating. Each item is made using 100% plastic waste collected from South West businesses and holds a 10-year guarantee.

DCW Polymers is the only specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant south of Bridgwater. With a fleet of 70 modern vehicles, the commercial recycling firm can collect items from both businesses and wider communities, providing a processing service for bulky plastics such as plastic bins, playground equipment, garden furniture, plastic pallet crates and even larger items such as kayaks and fuel tanks.

For more information about DCW Polymers services, call 01392 535353 or click here. Thank you to Hannah Finch at BusinessLive for sharing our news. Click here to read her article.

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