UK RECYCLING
First mixed waste plastics recycling plant on stream / Concerns over quality and quantity of rPET
 Biffa CEO Ian Wakelin and WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin at the opening of the new plant (Photo: Biffa Polymers) |
Biffa Polymers (Redcar / UK; www.biffa.co.uk) has opened the UK’s first fully integrated sorting and recycling facility for mixed plastic packaging. The plant will commence processing up to 15,000 t/y of mixed plastics next month and will increase its capability to 20,000 t/y by April 2012. It will process waste such as margarine tubs, yoghurt pots and meat trays from Biffa’s materials recycling facilities, local authorities and commercial customers.
Materials are sorted by colour and polymer type into reusable high grade commodities; projected applications include paint trays, plant pots, storage boxes, pallets and car parts. The opening of the plant has created 28 jobs. The new facility was initiated by Greenstar WES Group (Redcar / UK; www.thewesgroup.co.uk) – see Plasteurope.com of 05.02.2010 – prior to its merger with Biffa, which resulted in the formation of a new division for the waste management specialist, Biffa Polymers. It received funding of GBP 1.19m (EUR 1.4m) from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP, Banbury / UK; www.wrap.org.uk).
The plant is located on the same site as the plastic bottle recycling plant established by Greenstar, which primarily supplies rHDPE for incorporation into milk bottles.
Plastics recycling is making positive strides forward in the UK but a meeting on 15 March 2011 organised by WRAP, highlighted the concerns of major packaging users over the quality and availability of recycled PET. The meeting was attended by high street retailers, such as Marks & Spencer, brand owners, manufacturers, waste management companies and reprocessing businesses. One of the problems is the lack of uniformity in local authority collection systems, with many councils collecting co-mingled waste that increases the contamination of PET bottles. Also, some 60% of the bottles being collected currently are exported, undermining attempts to create a consistent and effective recycling infrastructure.
WRAP will now study the issues raised at the meting, said organisation head Andy Dawe, and identify priorities before considering solutions that will enable greater quantities of rPET to be used and contribute to the packaging industry’s objective – under the Courtauld Commitment – of reducing the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10%.
Materials are sorted by colour and polymer type into reusable high grade commodities; projected applications include paint trays, plant pots, storage boxes, pallets and car parts. The opening of the plant has created 28 jobs. The new facility was initiated by Greenstar WES Group (Redcar / UK; www.thewesgroup.co.uk) – see Plasteurope.com of 05.02.2010 – prior to its merger with Biffa, which resulted in the formation of a new division for the waste management specialist, Biffa Polymers. It received funding of GBP 1.19m (EUR 1.4m) from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP, Banbury / UK; www.wrap.org.uk).
The plant is located on the same site as the plastic bottle recycling plant established by Greenstar, which primarily supplies rHDPE for incorporation into milk bottles.
Plastics recycling is making positive strides forward in the UK but a meeting on 15 March 2011 organised by WRAP, highlighted the concerns of major packaging users over the quality and availability of recycled PET. The meeting was attended by high street retailers, such as Marks & Spencer, brand owners, manufacturers, waste management companies and reprocessing businesses. One of the problems is the lack of uniformity in local authority collection systems, with many councils collecting co-mingled waste that increases the contamination of PET bottles. Also, some 60% of the bottles being collected currently are exported, undermining attempts to create a consistent and effective recycling infrastructure.
WRAP will now study the issues raised at the meting, said organisation head Andy Dawe, and identify priorities before considering solutions that will enable greater quantities of rPET to be used and contribute to the packaging industry’s objective – under the Courtauld Commitment – of reducing the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10%.
25.03.2011 Plasteurope.com [218959-0]
Published on 25.03.2011