AO turns unwanted fridges into healthy fresh air

Electrical retailer AO has announced a scheme which will turn plastic extracted from old fridges collected from customers homes into sustainable ventilation products.

The Bolton-based group are set to supply recycled high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) from as many as 63,000 fridges each year at its facility in Telford which will be passed down the supply chain to a UK-based domestic fan manufacturer, Volution.

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The ventilation systems are installed to recover heat from extracted air and use it to reduce heat loss and save energy in the properties in the most economical and eco-friendly way.

The retailer opened its recycling arm in 2017 in order to tackle the issues faced within the circular economy. The company recycles over 1.2 million appliances every year which are collected from both customers and the public via a collection drive dubbed "Collect and Recycle."

The plastic is collected, cleaned and refined into reusable materials at this Telford plant, which has just celebrated its first anniversary.

The company launched in Germany in October 2014 with MDA and now specialises in a number of home appliances, from floorcare to AV.

Rob Sant, the managing director for AO said the company want to "take responsibility" for the entire recycling process, from start to finish.

"We’re proud to be producing high-quality plastic that can be easily used in new products," he added. "The circular economy is really at the forefront of our business ambitions and our investment in plastic is key to fulfilling our long-term goals.”

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Lee Nurse, Business Development Director at Volution Group, said: “We are delighted to be part of such a great initiative. With Volution Group having a target of 90% of the plastics we use in our facilities to come from recycled sources by 2025, this is a huge step towards us fulfilling our goal.

"The components made will also form part of our centralised heat recovery systems helping to provide energy-saving ventilation solutions into new build housing.”

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