Extrusion International USA 3-2021

32 Extrusion International 3/2021 RECYCLING – CASE STUDY Lindner’s new 1500 model from the Micromat series was presented at K 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany. In impressive live outdoor demonstrations it showcased the shredding of fi shing nets as the fi rst step in the recovery process. This very model was delivered to Chilean plastics recycler and circular economy pioneer Comberplast at the beginning of last year and has been successfully shredding old fi shing nets and ropes collected from the Patagonian coasts for the past year Cleaning Up Coasts at the Edge of the World Nature lovers and globetrotters alike find even the mere mention of this region breath-taking: Pa- tagonia. Besides rugged moun- tains shaped by Pacific winds and impressive landscapes, it is above all the fjords and coasts that – Covid travel restrictions apart – attract more and more visitors to this strip of land in southern Chile every year. Michel Compagnon from Santiago de Chile is one of them. Besides the magnificent spectacles of nature, one thing in particular caught his eye: discard- ed fishing nets and ropes, which are a burden on the environment and can bring the life of many sea creatures to an unhappy end. When asked about this, the local fishermen simply described the carelessly discarded rigging as waste. But for Compagnon, Com- mercial Manager at the plastics recycling company Comberplast, the unpleasant scene became a project to save the oceans and the incomparable beauty of Patago- nia. And that is how the Atando Cabos project started. What began in 2016 with a hand- ful of samples in a travel suitcase is now a project that transforms over 3,000 metric tons of ropes and nets into new products ev- ery year. The entire recovery pro- cess, from shredding and clean- ing to the extrusion and injection moulding of new products, takes place on site at the Comberplast Ropes and nets are designed to be extremely tear resistant and are usually highly contaminated after use The nets and ropes discarded on the coasts of Patagonia are collected by locals and taken to collection points