In a sector where most of the entrepreneurs are male today we would have the pleasure of interviewing Federica Foterni, owner of West Recycling. With an enviable entrepreneurial charisma and constantly updated on the latest news on the world of recycling, Federica Foterni will explain to us how the company has distinguished itself over the years and what its future goals will be.

Good morning Federica. Can you tell us about yourself and the company? What is your history?
I state that my family has been operating in the metal and waste recovery sector for over 40 years: my father, who unfortunately passed away 10 years ago, has been involved in the recovery of ferrous and non-ferrous metals for years and at the end of the 1980s he was among the very first Italians to recycle heterogeneous and homogeneous plastic. So let’s say that, in a way, working in the waste recycling sector was almost natural.
West Recycling‘s experience and bet in the market for the recovery of durable goods (better known since 2005 with the acronym WEEE) was born at the end of 2001 and it expanded in 2008 with the introduction of treatment lines refrigerators and other discarded electronic equipment. My company can therefore boast of having been the first recycling plant for the treatment of WEEE in Sardinia.

What are the peculiarities that distinguish you in the market?

The world of WEEE electrical and electronic waste is particularly heterogeneous. Potentially any authorized company that has the corresponding EWC can carry out the treatment of WEEE waste by applying only the “minimum” rules. West Recycling wanted to go one step further.

Since 2008 we have adhered to various types of regulations. We follow the provisions of the WEEE Program Agreements, the WEELABEX European standards and the Accreditation protocols dictated by the WEEE Coordination Center. From the first moment, it was a source of pride and satisfaction for us to have accepted all these challenges and, thanks to the commitment of all the working and administrative components, to have fully achieved all the objectives set by the regulations.

What kind of recycling plants do you work with?

Over the years we have developed several WEEE treatment lines. In the refrigeration and large white treatment line, we use the Panizzolo OPH Opener, in order to perform efficient shredding of scrap such as washing machines, dishwashers, ovens, kitchens and much more. In addition, we also have a smaller industrial and household electrical and electronic waste treatment plant, belonging to the category of R4. The Panizzolo treatment cycle allows us to enhance the metal content through the Flex 500 mobile hammermill in combination with various separation systems.

Which companies do you relate to for the purchase of waste and the sale of outputs?

Our supply market consists mainly of municipalities and WEEE consortium as well as, having an additional line dedicated to the treatment of ferrous scrap and motor vehicles, from producers of such waste such as industries, scrap dealers and car dealers.

Considering that our aim in the scrap market is to conclude the waste recycling cycle, the great majority of our outputs are sold as secondary raw materials directly to the steel and foundry. The remaining part, consisting of a mixture of metals and aggregates, is sent to other national companies to complete the treatment. However, I plan to complete these inert treatment cycles within West Recycling.

Can you tell us about the ASSORAEE association to which you are registered?

ASSORAEE brings together the most important Italian WEEE recovery and treatment companies. In recent years the Association has committed itself above all to the creation of tools such as the A program Agreement between WEEE plants  such as ours and the Consortia that collect this waste. In addition, the companies that are part of it are assisted in the implementation of their production processes to the standards prescribed by the European Union with the aim of reducing environmental impacts and raising the quality in the management of WEEE.

What benefits have you obtained with Panizzolo machines?

For many years we have been using the OPH Opener, the Flex 500 mobile mill and all the separation accessories, to perform high-performance grinding and refining of WEEE waste and obtain an output that distinguishes us in the market for its high quality. One of the characteristics that I immediately appreciated was the accuracy of the design. At the time, I carried out an in-depth analysis also from the point of view of those who would have worked on it in contact with the recycling machinery every day. In my opinion, the quality of a machine must also be extended to the ease of use and the reduction of downtime for the change of hammers, parts subject to wear and tear, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance.

What do you think of the design of the Panizzolo hammer mills and the patented interchangeable cradle?

As I said earlier, I particularly appreciate the design of your hammer mills and I believe that the interchangeable cradle is an exceptional solution. The replacement times of the grids and hammers are very short, allowing us to have a particularly efficient system from the point of view of production and cost.

In recent months there have been major changes due to COVID-19. What future lies ahead for the sector?

The scrap metal sector, including WEEE waste which is no exception, is the litmus test of a country’s economic prosperity. It will depend a lot on the measures put in place by the Government and Regions to start up the Italian production sectors again. Obviously, in a modern globalized context, everything will also depend on the provisions of the European Union and, more generally, on the decisions of the United States and the Asian market.

What are your plans for the near future?

Earlier this year, before the lockdown, we started a feasibility study to implement a new production line in West Recycling. In this way I want to enhance the residues from my WEEE and scrap treatment plants, completing the enhancement cycle and obtaining secondary raw material.

As required by the German government, empty water bottles must not be thrown in the waste; rather they must be recovered from the factories of origin and, once washed and sterilized, they are refilled. The system has been successfully adopted in Germany for many years. The only drawback however is the cap, which must be replaced to maintain a high quality of bottling.

This waste is currently being collected and processed by PIP Processing In Plastics. Founded in Rheinböllen in 2009, the company is structured to work in an End-of-Waste cycle and it produces high quality second raw materials to protect the environment as well. Let’s discover the peculiarities of this company together with General Manager Richard Groß, who recently chose the Panizzolo refining plant for the treatment of its aluminum caps.

Can you tell us about PIP and its peculiarities?
In PIP Processing In Plastics we process caps from German bottling companies, producing high quality second raw material output. Thanks to our strategic position close to these companies, we safeguard the environment by limiting traffic and completing the treatment within our factory.
A whole cap that travels on the road produces much more pollution than the same in granulated version. To our customers we sell aluminum granules and plastic granules divided into polypropylene and polyethylene.

I see that you have hung many environmental quality certificates
They certify how annually we are committed to protecting the environment. Our privileged position allows us to reduce CO2 for the transport of waste. We also aim to optimize transport every year, in order to save more and more carbon dioxide in the environment.

Tell us better about the waste you recover
Until twenty years ago, waste from bottle caps ended up in landfills or incinerators. However, over the years we have become aware of the potential to reintroduce them in the economic cycle. Founding the activity I focused on the quality of the outputs, so as to differentiate myself from the other German competitors.
We have a plant dedicated to the treatment of plastic caps. They are separated from the metal ones, then shredded and then washed. Once all foreign contamination has been eliminated, they are divided into our two qualities: polypropylene and polyethylene.
The plastic treatment line is divided into separate lanes. This is because many times we also buy caps from production waste, which need a different treatment.

Can you explain better what you mean by the quality of the outputs?
The main part of our business is to choose the product to be treated, knowing what we want to achieve in output. Buying new grain is not cheap at all, but with our products we are able to offer a raw material about 25-30% cheaper, maintaining a quality almost comparable to the new one. In this way we can offer our customers a double benefit: savings in purchasing and knowing that they are using a raw material from recycling plants. Important thing in the market, as -German companies are increasingly sensitive to this issue.
Generally we sell to big companies that mix the mixture and blend it to create new products. A part of our customers, who purchase plastic and aluminum granules, works in the automotive sector. Depending on the case, they can be used to produce mudguards, sides, engine covers and more.

Are you the most convenient on the market?
Absolutely not. Around it is possible to recover granules cheaper than ours, but they do not have the same quality. They have large percentages of impurities that can damage the production of our customers at the time of mixing and melting. The reason is given that the input from their plants comes from different scraps, while we are very selective in purchasing.
Our customers keep coming back because they know they find high purity percentage of polyethylene and polypropylene. In fact, the companies that offer lower quality tend to export abroad, while our products are intended for consumption by the German industry, which always requires higher quality

Aluminum caps instead of what procedure follow?
Until recently, aluminum caps were only separated and then destined for treatment in other companies very distant from Rheinböllen.
We obviously realized very early that this way of working was counterproductive both for our business and for our vision of environmental conservation.
Furthermore, we have also seen that the market has been changing in recent years. Some time ago aluminium caps were replaced with plastic ones. However, an increasing environmental sensitivity is changing direction, preferring the use of metal ones. In 2019, for example, the amount of aluminum caps in Germany has grown by 8% and will increase more and more in the coming years.
For this reason, we have decided to internally manage the entire treatment cycle and be consistent with both of our business purposes: Maximize enhancement and help the environment.
An aluminum cap is more expensive to manufacture than a plastic one, however the end customer is increasingly sensitive and prefers to buy environmentally friendly products. The manufacturing companies adapt to this trend and therefore in the near future we will see more and more metal caps.

So the decision fell into a refining plant.
It was the best choice. We went on the market and looked for a supplier that had an excellent reputation and solid experience in waste recycling, especially in the refining of aluminum.
Panizzolo Recycling Systems was suggested to me by asking colleagues and friends from the sector. I was introduced to Mauro Panizzolo, who accompanied me to see his treatment plant near Padua, in Italy.
Having contacts in the peninsula, I asked around and received very positive feedback.
After a test with our material, we convinced ourselves that Panizzolo was the most suitable partner for our needs.

Seeing what the refining plant was operating what was the idea? What about Panizzolo and the outgoing granule?
I am completely satisfied with the system and with how we have been followed in all phases, from the layout to the training of my men.
To be honest there are two aspects that have positively affected me: the fact that it produces little noise and that it does not scatter dust around. All pluses that allow us to work safely with the environment and with staff without having to add other investments.

Their technicians are professionally highly trained and they have given to me and to my men all the information to do their best.
Obviously now the most important part is to create our experience, in order to optimize all the functions and set-ups. However, I don’t think there will be any major problems. It is our first time with such a system, but seeing it at work, I am sure there are excellent business prospects.

Have you also seen other recycling plants?
Yes, we had seen another. It was a German company, but in the end it did not have much experience in refining. We also did some treatment tests, but the output quality did not live up to what we wanted.

In Germany how many companies are working this kind of waste?
We are not many in this field. Across Germany there should be a maximum of four or five. There are large companies that treat caps, but only because they collect many types of plastic and metal waste. They are not specialized like us, who produce high quality output. This really makes a difference.

What makes you unique in the market?
What, in my opinion, makes us unique in the German market is the fact of making the most of the metals and plastics coming out of our plants. My customers are interested in using recycled raw materials however they want to maintain a high quality of mixing and melting. Both for the plastic and for the aluminum we help them to assist business and environmental protection.