Electing to recycle with Kosdown

Ever wondered what happens to the thousands of Corflute signs that you see plastered around the place every time we have an election? Well, sadly, most of them end up in land fill.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! There is a better way, and it’s no surprise that Kosdown is leading by example. Instead of simply binning and dumping used signs at the tip, Kosdown has initiated a closed loop recycling program to both avoid landfill and recycle the material to use again for reprinting. It’s a true ‘green’ vote!

During local, state and federal elections Kosdown produces thousands of Corflute signs (Corrugated Polypropylene) for candidates, with most of these signs only being used for the few weeks of campaigning leading up to an election. Aware of the potential wastage and generation of landfill, Kosdown includes a full recycling service as part of our production of Corflute display material.

We have set up a collection depot at our Port Melbourne factory so customers can drop off any Corflute signage once their usage period is complete. We then strip the Corflutes of eyelets and send off in bulk to be recycled. They are de-inked, pulped, and then turned back into fresh Corflute substrate ready to be printed on again. It’s the perfect loop, where we are re-using the material we have just printed on, to print on it again, and again, and again… In addition, the original substrate we source is made from recycled material to being with, so it’s recycled recycled if you like!

In addition to signage, Kosdown also produces voting booths and other display material that are similarly made out of Corflute and recycled in the same manner. Often printers that produce display material don’t recycle at all, which is why so much wastage and unnecessary landfill is generated. Kosdown is committed to sustainability as an ingrained part of our business, it has little impact on short term job costs, but a big impact on long term viability. It’s just a smarter way of doing business!

If your organisation values sustainability then we would encourage you to review your printers recycling strategy when you are sourcing your print procurement.

Closed-Loop Corflute Recycling:

• Kosdown sources Corflute substrate made from recycled material
• Kosdown prints and supplies a range of display material from placards to voting booths on Corflute
• Clients drop off used material at the recycling collection point at Kosdown’s Port Melbourne factory
• Kosdown strips out metal eyelets and cable ties, and removes any other extraneous material
• Full collection bins are sent to recycling facilities for de-inking
• The signage is shredded and pulped
• The resulting material is used to extrude new Corflute bulk sheets
• The recycled Corflute is delivered back to Kosdown for printing new signage