UK recycler Bright Green Plastics (Castleford; www.brightgreenplastics.com) has finally opened the new recycling plant located at its main site in Castleford six months after the planned roll-out was put on ice due to the coronavirus pandemic. The firm, which changed its name from Imerplast earlier this year (see Plasteurope.com 24.03.2020), invested GBP 750,000 (EUR 827,000) into the new facility. The company said it would sort and reprocess bales of mixed plastics and 3D materials collected from the kerbside.

Bright Green Plastics’ chief executive Steve Spencer said that the new plant would drive down its cost base. He added, “We are also excited by the fact it will create more jobs in an area, whilst boosting the UK plastic reprocessing industry, which has been badly affected by Covid-19, by creating more recycling capacity.” Spencer did not specify the number of jobs that would be created in the local area.

In May, the company announced that Bibby Financial Services, a UK firm that funds SMEs, would provide GBP 6m in funding to Bright Green Plastics. Spencer said the funding would allow the recycler to continue its expansion into Europe.

Under its old name, the UK recycler made a pre-tax loss of GBP 4.3m (EUR 4.67m) in the 12 months to 31 December 2018.