An Exeter recycling firm is set to increase production of its plastic garden furniture range after making a £290,000 investment in new machinery at its HQ on Marsh Barton.
The move at DCW will up production of its furniture range that is made entirely from scrap plastics by 400% and create a further eight jobs.
DCW has introduced a new 10,000ltr fountain blender, an extruder machine and a mezzanine to its plastics recycling and reprocessing plant, DCW Polymers.
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READ MORE: Inside the workshop turning wheelie bins and old bottle tops into garden benches
Simon Almond, DCW Managing Director, said: “We’re passionate about achieving a more circular economy in the South West. Circular economies are vital to have in place if we are to win the fight against climate change as they lower carbon emissions, reduce the use of non-renewable resources and ensure that waste is kept away from landfill sites. We’re proud of how DCW Polymers is already contributing to our region’s circular economy with our recycled garden furniture range and our recent investment will continue to drive our growth in this area.
“Our new machinery allows us to scale up production to meet the growing demand for sustainable, durable outdoor furniture which isn’t detrimental to the environment.”
Waste plastics collected from businesses across the South West are taken to DCW Polymers where they are shredded into plastic granules by the new extruder before going back into the manufacturing process.
The extruder, bought from Boston Matthews in Worcester, allows the team to process five times more plastic waste, improving productivity and keeping as much of the region’s plastic waste as possible away from landfill.
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The fountain blender can blend approximately four tonnes of recycled granulated plastic at any one time. It provides a mix of material and colour suitable for the manufacturing of DCW’s recycled garden range which includes benches, dining sets, tables, chairs, fencing, decking and dog agility equipment.
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The family-run firm has also invested £60,000 to build a new mezzanine which has increased the square footage of DCW Polymers by 2,880 sq ft.
The extra floor provides further storage space for DCW’s recycled garden range, ensuring that products can be ready to meet the growing customer demand.
DCW Polymers is the only specialist plastics recycling and reprocessing plant south of Bridgwater. With a fleet of 70 modern vehicles, the commercial recycling firm can collect items from both businesses and wider communities, providing a processing service for bulky plastics such as plastic bins, playground equipment, garden furniture, plastic pallet crates and even larger items such as kayaks and fuel tanks.
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