Revolutionizing Recycling: New Plastic Baler in British Columbia Boosts Automotive Container Reprocessing

VICTORIA, B.C. (March 12, 2024) — Interchange Recycling, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to the collection and recycling of used oil, antifreeze, and automotive containers in British Columbia, today announced that its industry partner Safety-Kleen Canada Inc. has installed a new plastic baler in Delta, B.C. The new plastic baler will help improve automotive container-recycling rates across British Columbia and Canada and will process over half a million kilograms of automotive plastic annually. It is the first of its kind in British Columbia capable of facilitating increased consolidation with other automotive and industrial liquid packaging from across the country.

“We have been working with Safety-Kleen Canada Inc. for two decades to help to close the loop on the life cycle of oil in the auto industry by diverting used oil, oil filters and used antifreeze from landfills,” said David Lawes, CEO of Interchange Recycling. “With this new infrastructure, our partnership with them has deepened as they have expanded their operation to include the collection of automotive containers. Currently in B.C., 1.7 million kilograms of automotive plastic containers are recycled every year, but I expect that will grow with the new plastic baler. Most of the recycled containers will end up being used again in industrial sectors or in landscaping, and the plastic collected will circle back into the North American economy.”

Part of Canada’s zero-plastic-waste agenda includes retaining the value of products and facilitating the transition to a circular economy. The new plastic baler in Delta supports Canada’s shift from a linear “take-make-dispose” method by handling automotive containers at the end of their anticipated life, extending their use, and sending them back into the production chain to create new and useful products.

“We needed brand new infrastructure to help process plastic locally,” said Sam Glofcheskie, Regional Vice President of Safety-Kleen Canada Inc. — Bulk Product and Services. “Right now, only around nine per cent of plastic waste is recycled in Canada. We want to help fix that. The new baler has allowed us to create jobs in the province, has expanded our partnership with Interchange Recycling and is going to help British Columbia move a step closer towards a circular system in the auto space. The plastic we encounter and bale at our facility in Delta will go to the RPM eco-processing facility in Quebec, where it will be recycled and eventually re-used as new product.”

“RPM eco has years of operational experience in collecting contaminated plastics in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. We’re grateful that they have now entered the market in British Columbia and will be helping us collect plastic in the Lower Mainland before it is baled in Delta and then processed at their facility in Quebec,” added Glofcheskie.

About Interchange Recycling
Formed in 2003, Interchange Recycling (previously B.C. Used Oil Management Association) is a collaborative, not-for-profit group dedicated to the collection and recycling of used lubricating oil, used antifreeze and automotive containers in BC. Each year approximately 50 million litres of oil, and three million litres of antifreeze are collected and responsibly managed through Interchange Recycling’s network of public recycling centres and generators across the province. Assisted by manufacturers and first sellers of oil and antifreeze products, Interchange Recycling’s goal is to provide all British Columbians with a convenient, free, and eco-friendly way to recycle program materials. Ninety-nine point six per cent of British Columbians currently have reasonable access to recycling location. For general information about Interchange Recycling, visit https://interchangerecycling.com.

About Safety-Kleen
Safety-Kleen is the largest re-refiner of used oil and provider of parts-cleaning services in North America. With more than 50 years of experience, Safety-Kleen is recognized as a trusted provider of environmental solutions to over 200,000 customer locations, delivering responsible closed-loop solutions for managing waste streams.

About RPM eco
RPM eco’s mission is to reduce landfilling of materials that pose risks to health and the environment, while renewing them at the same time. Since 2004, RPM eco has offered customers an integrated system for managing contaminated waste, such as hydrocarbons plastic containers, pesticide and fertilizer containers, and much more. Once collected, materials are washed using industrial wastewater treated by RPM eco, thus avoiding the use of drinking water. The result: quality recycled plastics with constant properties that allow us to supply our customers. For collection needs, make a service request by visiting https://rpm.eco/en/service-request/.