CircularBag® - frequently asked questions
The CircularBag®: it's all about recycling
All about the CircularBag
The CircularBag is a large plastic bag with a capacity of 200 or 400 litres, for efficient collection of plastic flower foil, flower and plant sleeves and the shrink wrap around pallets and trolleys. A handy holder for keeping the bag open is also available. The full bags are returned to the Dutch flower auctions with your supplier, wholesaler or exporter via the existing distribution network, and are then recycled.
The CircularBag is a perfect, simple solution for all floriculture companies that unpack or repack flowers or process them into bouquets and find it important that their plastic waste is reused in an affordable and responsible way.
The CircularBag is all about recycling: thanks to the CircularBag we can make new, 100% recycled flower sleeves from used ones. Moreover, the CircularBag itself is also made of 90% recycled plastic. A simple and effective closed cycle, in other words.
The logistics for the CircularBag in brief:
- You order your CircularBags directly from Broekhof or in their web shop. Your supplier or wholesaler can also order the CircularBags for you from Broekhof.
- While processing the flowers, you collect the plastic flower sleeves and stretch film in the CircularBags.
- You deliver the full bags, along with the other packaging and trolleys, to your supplier, wholesaler or exporter.
- Back in the Netherlands, Kras Recycling processes the flower foil and the CircularBags into a high-quality raw material.
- We use this raw material to make 90% recycled CircularBags and 100% recycled flower foil.
- Broekhof turns this flower foil into new, recycled plastic flower sleeves (the semi-transparent Recy® sleeve) and markets them again.
This completes the recycling circle!
The CircularBag comes in two sizes:
- 200-litre capacity: for small spaces and small amounts of waste (perfect for florists).
- 400-litre capacity: useful in large spaces where a lot of waste is produced (perfect for wholesalers).
The waste bag is perforated so you can easily compress the full bag so that it takes up less space.
Costs and benefits of the CircularBag
Ask your flower and plant supplier about the CircularBag, or order them from Broekhof (directly or in the webshop). The bag holder can also be ordered online from Broekhof.
Please contact Broekhof for the prices of the 200 and 400-litre bags.
Please ask Broekhof about pricing. We recommend purchasing one holder per workstation. This is a one-off investment. The handy holder holds the bag open at working height and can be supplemented with wheels (also available from Broekhof).
The CircularBags are packaged in rolls: 200-litre bags on a roll of ten pieces and 400-litre bags on a roll of seven pieces. One box of CircularBags contains twelve rolls.
- The 200-litre bag can hold around 4.5 kilos of plastic foil (500 to 600 flower sleeves*).
- The 400-litre bag can hold around 9 kilos of plastic foil (more than 1,100 flower sleeves*).
* Medium-sized flower sleeves.
This is an important question! The CircularBag costs you very little but offers great advantages:
- As a flower processor, you now have a simple solution to reduce your environmental impact.
- Your supplier, wholesaler or exporter will take the full bags back to the Dutch flower auctions for free.
- You will reduce your waste costs, because you won’t have to pay packaging tax to your government for this plastic waste (make sure you can prove that your plastic waste is being recycled).
- Your employees can collect all plastic waste quickly and efficiently at their work station.
- This results in clean and orderly work stations. The result: improved efficiency and more job satisfaction for your employees.
- You can rest assured that your plastic waste does not end up in the incinerator, but is reused as new flower sleeves.
- You make a demonstrable and concrete contribution to a cleaner environment.
- Recycling gives your company a positive, sustainable image with customers, suppliers and partners. Make sure you communicate this on your website or in your shop!
How do I use the CircularBag?
The CircularBag is perfect for work stations in areas where packaged flowers are unpacked, repackaged or processed into bouquets, for example, at flower and plant wholesalers, flower processors, unpacking, repacking and export companies, bouquet makers and florists.
Place the CircularBag in its holder next to a work station. While processing the flowers, collect all flower foil, flower sleeves and stretch foil in the CircularBag. Thanks to the holes, the full bag can easily be compressed, so that it takes up little space. Return your full CircularBags, along with other packaging and trolleys, to your supplier, wholesaler or exporter.
You can hand over any full CircularBags along with other packaging and trolleys to your transporter every day, or hand them in to your exporter, wholesaler or supplier. This is free of charge!
We only collect soft foil and stretch foil in the CircularBag. We can recycle these foils to make new flower sleeves and CircularBags. Therefore, please take care to only deposit the following in the CircularBags:
- Plastic flower foil
- Plastic flower and plant sleeves
- Shrink / stretch foil around pallets and carts
All other plastic waste and residual waste cannot go in the waste bag. In other words, no:
- Adhesive tape (remnants), labels, (price) stickers and tape (small quantities already on the foil can be taken in the CircularBag)
- Plastic lashing straps
- Plastic coffee and tea cups
- Styrofoam (EPS), this is collected and recycled separately
- Paper and cardboard, this is collected and recycled separately
- All other residual waste
For your convenience: yes! The holder holds the CircularBag neatly open at working height. This allows you and your employees to quickly and effortlessly fill the bag with flower sleeves and stretch film. The holder fits any work station, takes up little space and can be supplemented with wheels for even more convenience.
The origin of the CircularBag
The CircularBag is an initiative of the Circular Plastics team, which is made up of recycling company Kras, flower processor Fresco Flowers and packaging supplier Broekhof. Together, they developed a new, innovative and sustainable packaging solution to make a positive contribution to the environment with the entire flower sector.
Worldwide reuse of plastic in the floriculture sector! Our aim is a simple, global recycling system for plastic flower sleeves and stretch foils. Thanks to the CircularBag, everyone can now collect their plastic waste quickly, easily and affordably, after which we have it recycled into new, 100% recycled flower sleeves. In this way, we can all contribute to a circular economy within the flower sector, with full reuse of residuals.
The last word on the most sustainable packaging material has not yet been spoken. In our opinion: plastic is a better choice than paper, for example, as long as plastic waste is actually recycled and does not end up in nature or the ocean. Flower and plant sleeves are made from traditional plastics such as PE, PP, CPP, OPP and BOPP, an ideal material for effectively packaging and transporting flowers and plants. These plastics are easy to collect and recycle indefinitely and can be processed into new, sustainable end products.
Inform your employees about what is and is not allowed in the CircularBag. Download the poster for free and hang it up.
Would you like to find out more?
Do you have any questions that we have not yet answered?
Please feel free to contact us at:
circularbag@circular-plastics.com.