Congressional visit sparks conversation about the future of recycling
WEIMA America, a leading size reduction machinery manufacturer, opened the doors of its Fort Mill headquarters to welcome Congressman Ralph Norman, who represents South Carolina’s 5th District. The WEIMA team was thrilled to show the Congressman and his team around the ever-expanding campus while discussing the benefits of green manufacturing for South Carolinians and beyond.
A heartfelt invitation
Legislation surrounding environmental manufacturing practices and green energy are frequently brought before Congress. Because of this, WEIMA America’s Vice President of Sales, Madison Burt, welcomed the opportunity to open a dialogue about some of the challenges manufacturers are facing in light of current events. These topics included supply chain issues, delays at port, import tariffs, and recycling infrastructure, just to name a few.
Burt also advocated for incentives which would promote the use of post-consumer resin during the production process. These incentives would encourage manufacturers to implement processes that gave a second life to what would traditionally be considered “single-use” plastics.
“Recycling initiatives are often about thinking ahead, thinking critically, and thinking on your feet,” said Audrey Brewer, North American Marketing Manager for WEIMA. “Discovering a second life opportunity for production waste before it’s created is ideal, because you can plan for the infrastructure and machinery—like shredders and granulators—to include them seamlessly in the facility layout. Recycling incentives will encourage companies to think ahead in this way and will make it possible for existing operations to modify production lines to accommodate for recycling-related machinery after the fact. It’s all about thinking creatively.”
During his visit, the Congressman was able to see the growth WEIMA is seeing firsthand. New buildings are being built on the campus for in-stock machinery storage as well as extra fabrication space. The size reduction machinery manufacturer continued operating throughout the pandemic and even added three new team members since the beginning of the pandemic in April 2020. The company plans to add roughly five more team members by the end of 2021 to keep up with the demand for green technology in the United States and Canada.
“Every politician ought to come here and see what you do.
“Production scrap comes in many forms and recycling isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution,” explained Burt.
WEIMA welcomes the opportunity to talk to any lawmakers—regardless of political affiliation—about the possibilities that sound policy and infrastructure can present to the state of South Carolina or the United States as a whole. Recycling is economically beneficial, and the process almost always starts with shredding.
