Plastic bag firm wins seal of approval for its UK manufacturing business

RPC bpi refuse is celebrating three major business wins across the healthcare, facilities management and cleaning sectors. The UK-based refuse sack manufacturer is estimating a combined value of over £6 million per annum will be achieved from the new contracts.

Sales Director, Lorcan Mekitarian said: “We offer a range of services to help customers save money – from on-site audits to product rationalisation. Our comprehensive portfolio is attractive to our customers, with sacks specially designed for specific markets; crucially, they can produce UN Approved clinical waste sacks, CHSA accredited sacks and meet customer derived specifications such as those from NHS Supply Chain.”

“We actively bring together new technologies and raw materials to create cutting edge products designed to work hard in very demanding conditions. Working in partnership with NHS Supply Chain we are able to manufacture their industry leading specifications.”

NHS Supply Chain has signed RPC bpi refuse to a four-year contract estimated to be worth £20 million. The product portfolio includes UN-approved clinical waste sacks, clear and coloured sacks for general waste purposes and specialist products such as patient property plastic bags. Thanks to the breadth of its healthcare product range, RPC bpi refuse is able to provide a single source of supply for all waste management and infection control requirements.

ESPO (Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation) is a public sector-owned procurement organisation which is jointly owned by six local authorities in the East of England. It helps government, education organisations and charities to achieve savings through joint purchasing. RPC bpi refuse successfully won an ESPO framework to supply their stores with refuse sacks.

Joanna Kyprianou, Catalogue Procurement Officer said: “We are very happy to be providing refuse bags that fall within the CHSA scheme.”

The third contract is with Mayflower Washroom Solutions, who chose RPC bpi refuse for its flexibility, integrity, and the fact that it is a UK manufacturer.

In addition to manufacturing over 30 million refuse sacks each week, RPC bpi refuse is Europe’s largest recycler of waste polythene film. It recycles over 70,000 tonnes of film each year and has also achieved zero waste to landfill certification at three of its four UK manufacturing sites.

The company’s ethos ‘transformation through innovation’ is seemingly reflected throughout every process. Mekitarian explained: “Innovation sits at the heart of our vision. Our products need to be tough and resilient, while our processes reflect our commitment to the most rigorous environmental standards. We continually invest in new machinery and technology to offer innovative products that help our customers save money and reduce their carbon footprint. Our products have become the benchmarks that the rest of the industry follows.”

The polythene used to make the company’s award winning Green SackTM range of refuse sacks is made from recycled British farm waste plastics. The finished product has a carbon footprint that is estimated to be at least 35 per cent less than any other refuse sack in the UK. Already the most tear-resistant option on the market, the latest version – Green Sack Fusion – has been made even stronger by combining triple layer extrusion technology with a new core layer formulation made from super strength waste polythene.

RPC bpi refuse is accredited to ISO: 14001, ISO: 9001:2008, and OHSAS: 18001.