Zimmer and STF supply system to recycle PET in Haiti

Installation overcame COVID-19 travel restrictions with virtual meetings, equipment providers say.

zimmer recycling haiti
A PET bottle recycling line installed in Haiti relied heavily on virtual meetings and technical support.
Image courtesy of Zimmer America Recycling Solutions.

South Carolina-based Zimmer America Recycling Solutions, in partnership with Germany based STF Group, says it has successfully installed a 1.1 metric tons-per hour polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle washing and recycling plant in Haiti. The Haiti plant will be operated by Canada-based plastics compounder and resin producer the Lavergne Group.

The technology companies are referring to the project as the “first ever virtual plastic recycling line installation” because of its reliance on virtual meetings in light of COVID-19-related travel restrictions.

STF Group and Lavergne Group say the installation relied on daily online video conferences and “was made possible by a strong local technical support team on the customer side in Haiti and simple and effective line and machine engineering by STF Group.”

The PET recycling line is part of a project led by California-based HP to reduce plastic in the ocean. HP invested $2 million in the project, according to a press release issued by the company.