ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Making bins for recycling purposes is a sustainable practice in and of itself.

Making them out of recycled materials is even better. But Probbax has gone one step further.

"We use the leftovers from recycling processes and we make recycling bins out of them," says marketing director Katia Belhadj.

She claims tetra packs - the packaging typically used for milk cartons - are notoriously difficult to recycle. "The process simply takes out the paper, leaving behind the plastic and aluminium components," she said. "These usually have to be discarded and burnt.

"So we take these two materials and make bins out of them. We then pass on the paper to other companies which they turn into recycled paper products."

According to Belhadj it takes around 10,200 cartons to make a three-compartment outdoor sorting station.

Probbax makes waste management solutions for hotels, restaurants, offices, washrooms, commercial kitchens and outdoor areas. Besides recycling stations and bins the company's product lines also include ashtrays.

Belhadj believes Probbax to be the only company making bins out of tetra pack leftovers. "We came to Interclean to see whether other companies were doing the same, but I think it's just us," she said.