By: Claus Thinggard Larsen, Branch Manager,
Stena Recycling A/S, Frederikshavn

 

WE HAVE REFINED THE DIRTY WORK

Since 1939 Stena has taken care of handling waste responsibly. For more than 80 years we have sorted the waste so that it ended up in the right places. Since 2004 also in Frederikshavn. Stena Recycling has roots that go back to long before waste sorting was something everyone did. Since then, a lot has happened.

There is a lot going on in our business right now. Partly because there has been a considerable political focus on waste sorting and recycling. For example, Danes will soon have to sort up to 10 different types of domestic waste at home. It seems impossible, but it is not. Small changes can actually make a huge difference.

It is in many ways the same thing we have been working on for over 80 years. We have refined the dirty work, so that we can now handle even more types of waste, more and more of which can be recycled. To stay in the picture with the Danish homes' waste sorting, it is about minimizing the amount that goes into the bin with residual waste. When the bin of residual waste starts to be empty, we are about to reach the target. It is of course a slightly different type of waste we handle at Stena Recycling, but the picture is the same.

100% is the target
The sorting of waste today is not what it was when Steen A. Olsson started it all in Gothenburg in 1939. Even though we sort more waste today than we have ever done, at Stena Recycling we are not really satisfied until we can sort and recycle 100%. That is the goal and we are actually not that far off.

For us to get there, it is important that we all work in the same direction. Frederikshavn is a very good example of how it is possible to get many great players to collaborate towards a common goal. There is a special cooperation mentality at the port, and the broad cooperation among all translates into sparring, help and business. Of course, money must also be made.

Fortunately, we have found a way to make money by buying, taking over and handling other people's scrap and waste. In Stena Recycling we can recycle cardboard, paper, plastic, iron, metal, hazardous waste, and electronics. In short, pretty much everything.

Innovation and cooperation are the key
Stena Recycling in Frederikshavn handles between 40,000 and 50,000 tons of waste and scrap annually. And we expect that volume to increase as the port expansion starts to pay off. And even if a bit of waste is not avoidable, we will always aim to be able to recycle 100%.

Getting there requires us to spend a lot of money and effort on innovation and development. If we do not do everything we can, to do things the right way, then we can all get into huge problems in a few years' time. That is why it is so important that we devote our energy to being able to recycle 100% of the waste that comes through our system.

At the port we are not a small player, but our effect in the big picture is even greater, because we have some good customers and partners at the port who we service every day, and we are happy to share our extensive experience in waste sorting. In return, we also get excellent service when we need to have our machines or the like serviced. The cooperation we have at the port will benefit everyone. We all want to get to where we can sort and recycle 100%. We are not there yet, but with hard work and good partners, we believe that we will reach the goal much faster.

 

 

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This post is part of Port of Frederikshavn’s blog universe, which we have called THE PORT VOICE. The blog has been put into the world to give the word to businesses and business partners of the port. The purpose is to create a channel, where we can share knowledge, passion and demeanour in an inclusive, engaging and non-profit way. The goal is to have as many businesses, organisations and partners of the port as possible to contribute in order to obtain a platform, where we can learn more about each other, pass on learning, wisdom or demeanour and invite one another into the world, each one of us find ourselves in.