Supplying volumes of consistently high-quality paper and cardboard to our paper mills is at the core of our Recycling Division’s mission.
The fibre and plastic that we collect fuels the DS Smith Group’s papermaking and packaging production processes. That’s why we consistently campaign for a focus on quality, as well as quantity, at the heart of recycling collections.
Lower quality means higher contamination – which means that material intended for recycling might end up in energy recovery, or, even worse, landfill.
Paper can become contaminated by any non-fibre material, from food to plastics, and plastics can be contaminated by other material streams, too. That’s why we work with our customers to segregate their recycling, drive down contamination, increase potential revenue, and boost their recycling rates.
It’s also imperative that the right infrastructure is in place to allow for better quality recycling. As an active member of several industry organisations, we are at the forefront of campaigning for consistency of policy and communication to aid better recycling systems in both the municipal and commercial markets.
A high quality of raw material ensures that what we collect for recycling can actually be recycled. That means we can waste less, and work towards circular economy aspirations.
We’ve introduced an 8-step inspection process across our network of UK recycling facilities, to ensure that we only send the highest possible quality of paper for recycling on to paper mills. Watch our video to find out more about our quality management process.