Assintecal carries the can
The perennial problem among tanners and shoemakers of what to do with empty metal containers containing adhesive appears to have been solved by Assintecal, the Brazilian Association of Leather and Shoe Component Manufacturers.
Since April, the association has operated its ‘Metallic Container Recycling Project’, under which tanners can dispose of their containers ethically and free of charge. The project is the outcome of a pilot scheme conducted with three shoe factories, adhesive suppliers, leather goods manufacturers and environmental consultants.
The aim was to enable footwear and leather producers to comply with the latest environmental legislation governing the disposal of empty adhesive tins, without incurring additional overheads. To this end, Assintecal devised a simple piece of equipment that both allows leftover adhesive to be safely removed and the tins to be crushed for easy storage.
Once they have been crushed, the tins are taken to a recycling plant at Gerdau. At no time does the process incur any kind of cost for the shoe or leathermaker, Assintecal says, as the unwanted tins are collected free of charge by the scrap merchant. In fact, says the association, the project saves money for the tanners, as it allows the reclamation of 10% to 15% of adhesive that would otherwise be disposed of with the tins.
