When it finally comes time for the fast-food restaurants and cafeterias to reopen, this will only be allowed if certain protocols are in place.
But what about something as simple as the serving tray? Until now, these have often received no more than a cursory wipe down after use – often with the same cloth that is used to clean other surfaces as well. It is a highly efficient way to spread germs around.
A Norwegian company called ZincIn AS has come up with an alternative approach, which ticks both the sustainability and the hygiene box at the same time. The company is now marketing a serving tray made from recycled ocean waste, or to be more specific, from end-of-life farm cages, feed bags and hoses from the aquaculture industry and ropes, plastic tanks and other plastic waste from the fishing industry recycled by a Norwegian start-up called Norwegian Plastic Recycling AS (NOPREC).
The NOPREC plant operates in Matmortua, which is located at the very end of the sea gap. The company is the only one in Norway to reprocess hard plastic and ropes.
For this specific application, the regranulate also incorporates an antimicrobial technology developed by Netherlands-based Parx Materials NV, who specializes in the development and manufacturing of materials with sustainable antibiofilm and antimicrobial properties.
Official third-party testing following international protocols has demonstrated that >99,9% fewer germs adhere to these new trays compared to those normally used, bringing utmost hygiene to these often-forgotten surfaces. Inspired by the concept, Kjetil Christoffersen, founder of ZincIn has now launched a line of ocean waste hygienic food trays.
“Working with the Parx Materials antimicrobial technology sparked a whole new array of possibilities that can bring benefits and advantages to our lives,” he explained. “Combining it with the NOPREC recycled material that has served our food chain already before and now once again, seemed a logical step.”
The first customer has already signed up, ordering over 10,000 of these ocean waste hygienic serving trays.
Meanwhile, ZincIn and Parx Materials have taken the relationship a step further: inspired by the vision and product concepts of ZincIn, Parx Materials has joined Christoffersen as a shareholder and board member in ZincIn, forging a strong alliance for the Scandinavian market and beyond, and with more products ahead.