Reclaiming Bumpers From Trash

Two years after acquiring a car bumper repair company, Alim Boflo and Bashir Jamal faced a challenge that could set back their business. In January 2018, China closed its doors to foreign plastic waste, which is where their company, BumperNow, had sent discarded bumpers that could not be repaired to be reintroduced into the market.

“We didn't know what to do. We had a mountain of the stuff—4,000 or 5,000 pieces,” says Boflo. “We didn't want to landfill it and we had to think about how to deal with this problem internally.”

The problem and their resulting research led them to the solution of cleaning, decontaminating and granulating bumpers into plastic for reuse. They started a new company, Reclaimed Plastics, to oversee their recycling operation.

“It's quite a desirable type of plastic because it's got flexibility,” explains Boflo. “It can withstand different heat levels, just like a car.” Reclaimed Plastics produces materials used in water pipes, flower pots, automobile parts and many other plastic products.

Boflo and his business partner Jamal originally met at Vancouver’s Downtown Jamatkhana a decade ago, when they both volunteered as drivers for the seniors’ bus. A few years later they began pursuing business ideas together. Jamal, an engineer, finished a 15-month stint in Peru in October 2015 and, with a young family, he was looking for more stability. Boflo, who had an accounting background, was recently married and hoping to find a business venture in Vancouver.

“To fix problems, put systems in place, and grow a business—that’s what excited us,” says Jamal, explaining how they sought a business with opportunities for improvement.

With an average of 1,000 car accidents in B.C. each day, BumperNow and Reclaimed Plastics receive 300 to 400 bumpers daily. Processing over 6,000 bumpers each month before the COVID-19 slowdown, Boflo and Jamal are now investing more into plastic processing equipment to increase automation. So far, their operations have stopped over 50,000 bumpers from being sent to landfills.

“It's pretty amazing—all of this stuff used to head to the landfills,” says Boflo. “When you look at how much we actually divert, it's a good feeling.”

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2020 issue of The Ismaili Canada.