OMER KUTLUOGLU wants your old computers, kettles and toasters. The managing director of 2K, a start-up company in Luton, is recycling the plastic in redundant household items into a sustainable alternative to plywood.

The former bond trader believes he is sitting on a green goldmine. “There is a mountain of waste plastic and nobody knows what to do with it,” he said.

Plastic is a global problem. Millions of tonnes from sources such as homes, hospitals and old cars go into landfill sites because it is difficult to recycle. Britain alone dumps more than 5m tonnes a year, 80% of which ends up in landfill. Electrical goods account for a significant proportion.

The European Union regulations on waste electrical and electronic equipment require local councils, manufacturers and retailers to organise the collection and recycling of used goods, which is making the problem even more pressing.

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Kutluoglu’s company turns the unwanted plastic into an alternative to plywood, called Ecosheet. Construction firms such as Bovis Lend Lease and Wates are already using it for hoardings on building sites. Asda and Sainsbury’s are working with 2K on making signs and shop displays.

Only 7% of Britain’s plastic waste is recycled in this country, with about 12% shipped abroad for reprocessing or incineration. The problem is that most recycling methods work only if different types of plastic are kept separate. That’s fairly easy for simple products such as plastic bottles but hard for items such as computers.

The company uses a process called powder impression moulding............More