PRISMM Environmental has revealed that UK printing firms are sending an estimated 120,000 tonnes of label waste to landfill every year.
The organisation said that, until recently, there was no alternative as the waste needed shredding before it could be reused.
This, they claimed, posed a problem as the strong, sticky waste caused shredding machine failure and was deemed unrecyclable.
A potential solution is Prismm Environmental’s Zero Labels 2 Landfill Scheme.
Sponsored by the British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF), the initiative involves diverting label waste from landfill and instead using it to produce high value SRF fuel used in the production of cement.
This, Prismm Environmental argue, will improve the environmental performance of label printing firms and reduce costs by cutting landfill tax bills. It will also be popular with big brand clients seeking improved sustainability through their supply chains.
Materials collected under the scheme include matrix waste, glassine, silicon packaging paper, waste foil on cores and make-ready and set-up reels.
Collections are available nationwide and can be arranged from as little as 600kg up to 26 tonnes.         Â
Through this scheme, Prismm said it has saved 42,190 tonnes of label waste from landfill since 2015.
