Kingspan Insulated Panels has long been at the forefront of work to provide end of life solutions for composite panel systems, but now with the addition of a shredder plant at their Kingscourt manufacturing facility in Ireland, they are able to provide 100% on the spot recycling for their site waste. This is the start of a process which will potentially allow for a totally closed loop process for their high performing products once they have reached the end of their useful life.
The shredder plant was built as an extension to the existing line at Kingscourt. The system operates very similarly to a conventional shredder plant, although on a smaller scale. The insulated panels are shredded with the steel being recycled as per usual, but the insulation material is directed back to the production process and re-entered into the virgin product. This is a huge step for Kingspan Insulated Panels in achieving its goal of zero waste to landfill at all its manufacturing plants and its ultimate target of having a 100% recyclable product.
The same process is to be introduced at Kingspan’s sites at Holywell in North Wales and Sherburn in Yorkshire, with the aim of being operational in early 2009. This means that by that time all insulated panel waste from Kingspan’s manufacturing process will be completely recycled. However, the aim is for the company to be able to recycle panels from deconstructed buildings in the future, allowing a truly ‘closed loop’ scenario where all material from Kingspan panels is recovered and recycled at end of life.
In the meantime, all current production can be processed through large conventional shredder plants, helping to reduce waste and achieve responsible disposal. This process has been proven to be approximately cost neutral, with a small income often the case in current market conditions.
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