A plating press to recycle plastic waste

In less than ten years, Resak has come a long way: this collective of six inhabitants of the Pays Basque and Sud des Landes in 2019 has grown into an association with two full-time employees. The original mission has remained the same: to identify the best solutions for recycling the plastic waste present in the region and preventing it from ending up in the environment and the ocean. To achieve this, it carries out two types of action: revalorization and awareness-raising.

Recycling

In its recycling workshop, based in Anglet, the association recovers plastic waste characterized and sorted during beach collections, as well as waste from industrialists and local partners. This is followed by sorting, cleaning, shredding and hot-pressing operations to produce recycled plastic panels which are then used to create furniture, cladding or signage.

With the support of the Veolia Foundation, the company will be equipping itself with a plating press. This machine will make it possible to increase the size of panels produced to meet building industry standards, which are now frequently requested by architects. It will also be able to handle plastic waste with a low fluidity index, thanks to improved pressure, and increase the workshop's overall recycling capacity. Target: 10 tonnes of recycled plastics by 2025.

Raising awareness

To multiply the points of contact with the general public, Resak has created a catalog of varied workshops: participative quizzes, a Plastic Fresco, playful stands around low-tech machines, and so on. The workshops are tailored and adaptable for schoolchildren, students, businesses and the general public. The next step in developing this activity is to set up a Tri'Cycle, a participative mobile recycling station with a social and environmental vocation. A project which, thanks to its playful, creative and atypical form, could attract a wider public.

Resak spares neither ambition nor energy.