Somebody wrote NEW on this one, in permanent marker.

This is the end cap of a spent seawater element.
The spokes are white plastic. Everything between them is sand, grit and the odd bit of debris.

We don't know who wrote NEW on it, or why.
What we do know is that a word on the frame tells us nothing about what's inside.

So it goes through the same checks as every element we take in.
Physical integrity first, then weight.
Then a performance test for the ones still in the running.

Only the elements that pass get regenerated and ship.
The ones that fail go to our Zero Waste to Energy project, where they become refuse-derived fuel for large furnaces and kilns.

Either way, the plastic in this element stays out of landfill.
That's about 15 kg for every element we take in, whether it passes or not.

On our floor, a label is worth nothing until the element proves it.

Some sellers rinse an element like this, put it in a new box and sell it on.
A rinsed element in a new box is still a spent element.

If you buy regenerated elements, ask your supplier what happens to the ones that arrive like this.
Then ask to see the test numbers for the ones they ship.