How MEG is increasing its regranulate quotas

Germany’s second-largest beverage producer Mitteldeutsche Erfrischungsgetränke GmbH & Co. KG (MEG) is part of the Schwarz Group that also owns the Lidl and Kaufland supermarket chains. The soft-drinks producer has domestic sales of more than 25 million hectolitres and also exports its wares throughout Europe.

Since 2010, MEG has taken back the deposit-bearing, non-returnable bottles from the DPG system (German deposit system; Deutsche Pfandsystem) handed in at Lidl and has been having these processed into regranulate at its own recycling plant and at various contract recycling companies. Needless to say, this regranulate has to meet the most stringent of quality stipulations. So as to be able to increase regranulate quotas still further, MEG is building another recycling plant near Aachen.

As part of this project, Krones was awarded the order for the installation of a module that grinds bottles into flakes, and of a washing module.

The intensive and technologically sophisticated washing process implemented in the Krones system was for MEG one of the key elements for assuring top-class flake quality. What’s more, MEG likewise appointed Krones as the vendor responsible for the interfaces to the upstream and downstream process steps, in view of Krones’ extensive experience in completing turnkey projects.