Dole’s Joint Venture Recycling Company Celebrates 25 Years
May 21 2018 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
Recyplast S.A. provides key environmental
service to agriculture in Costa Rica
Dole Food Company announced today that Recyplast S.A., an
innovative plastic recycling company based in Costa Rica and with
joint ownership including a subsidiary of Dole Fresh Fruit,
recently surpassed 25 years in its mission to dramatically reduce
and reuse agricultural waste.
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Raul Martinez (right), General Manager of
Dole Standard Fruit de Costa Rica, receives a plaque from Jose
Miguel Ramirez, General Manager of Recyplast, in recognition of the
contribution of Dole's banana plantations in the correct handling,
storage, and provision of field plastic waste.
The plastic recycling facility pioneered the collection of
field plastics after use in banana growing operations in
Costa Rica. This reuse and recycling process includes reclamation
of plastic bags that protect bananas from weather and insects, as
well as the collection of plastic twine used to prop the banana
plants and other plastics used to protect the fruit during
cultivation. The field plastic is processed into plastic corner
boards, which support and reinforce the structural integrity of
shipping pallets. Even after arrival some Dole customers continue
to recycle the corner board products down the chain.
This organization is a rare example of an environmental service
that is vertically integrated within an industry that
generates the waste, which after recycled, is used as a material in
the fruit export process. The process represents the convergence of
environmental, social and economic interests, creating
sustainability that makes both business sense as well as public
benefit.
Initially Recyplast required a fee for collecting and
recycling field plastic waste generated by the banana industry to
finance its operation. Today the operation generates 105 direct
jobs, stands financially independent and in fact pays small
businesses and community organizations to provide basic raw
material: plastic waste from other agricultural operations, as well
as post consumer waste from domestic uses.
As Recyplast has grown the negative impacts related to plastic
use and disposal have subsided in Costa Rica. These positive
results have been extended throughout Central America as the
recycler now imports waste from Guatemala and Nicaragua and soon
Honduras.
At a recent celebration to honor its 25th year of operations,
Jose Miguel Ramirez, General Manager of Recyplast,
proudly recalled how the operation has grown from producing
four metric tons of plastic materials (derived from waste) per day,
to over 21 metric tons today. This translates to the manufacture of
44,000 pallet corner boards each day, the equivalent
needed to export over 500 containers of fruit!
Renato Acuña, President of Dole Fresh Fruit, was present at
Recyplast’s 25th Anniversary celebrations held in April.
“This is a great example of social responsibility. It is clear
that the leadership, dedication, and imagination demonstrated here
are needed to respond to the increasing demands of our society,”
stated Acuña. “The commitment of all the employees of the
organization is more than evident, as is that of the community
groups that manage the collection of domestic waste to be
recycled.”
About Dole Food Company
Dole Food Company, Inc., is one of the world’s largest producers
and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables.
Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as
well as in nutrition education and research. For more information,
please visit www.dole.com.
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Dole Food Company, Inc.US Contact: William
Goldfield818-874-4647william.goldfield@dole.com