11 May 2021
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2 min read
AO's recycling plant in Telford
Plastic will be extracted from tens of thousands of used fridges every year for use in ventilation fans, company said
Online electricals retailer AO has announced it will recycle plastic from old fridges for use in energy saving ventilation products, as part of a new effort to cut down on waste and establish a more circular business model.
The firm said it will extract high impact polystyrene (HIPS) from approximately 63,000 used fridges every year and supply it to domestic ventilation fan company Volution Group for use as components in energy saving systems.
The plastic will be collected, cleaned, and refined into reusable material at a plastic recycling plant opened by AO in Telford, Shropshire last year, according to the update.
Rob Sant, managing dircetor of AO Recycling, said the firm was thrilled that plastic from its fridges would be repurposed for domestic heat recovery units that allow households to save energy in an economic way.
"As a retailer, AO want to take responsibility for the entire recycling process, from start to finish, and we're proud to be producing high quality plastic that can be easily used in new products," he said. "The circular economy is really at the forefront of our business ambitions and our investment in plastic is key to fulfilling our long-term goals."
AO opened its first recycling facility in 2017 and now recycles more than 1.2 million appliances every year through a collect and recycle service, it said.
Volution Group business development director, Lee Nurse, said the partnership would also help the company meet its recycled materials targets. "With Volution Group having a target of 90 per cent of the plastics we use in our facilities to come from recycled sources by 2025, this is a huge step towards us fulfilling our goal," he said. "The components made will also form part of our centralised heat recovery systems helping to provide energy saving ventilation solutions into new build housing."
The move comes in the same week as online retailer Made.com announced a new tie-up with online marketplace Geev designed to encourage customers to recycle used items of homeware and also follows an announcement from household appliance giant Whirlpool that it is to ramp up its climate ambition with more stringent emissions targets.
