— By Plasteurope.com staff — 

Following the major fire at its site in Eicklingen, Germany, recycling company Source One Plastics (Dalldorf, Germany; www.s-one.de) has begun clean-up work. After toxicological and structural investigations, the first areas are now to be made usable again.

“We are confident that the plant will be running at full production capacity again this year,” said managing director Kai Hoyer. However, more precise details on the date of recommissioning will only be available once the damage assessment has been completed.

Related: Source One Plastics expands sorting capacities in Germany

Investigators have now determined that the fire on 27 January 2026 was caused by a technical defect. It broke out in a product bunker next to the sorting and recycling plant.

According to Source One Plastics, the damage to the plant and building infrastructure amounts to tens of millions of euros. However, the warehouse and logistics area remained intact, so that existing stocks can still be delivered. The company has rented office containers to enable operations to resume.

The remaining plant components at the site of the fire are currently being dismantled, cleaned, and stored. A specialist company will then take over the decontamination and clearance of the area. “After that, we will immediately begin rebuilding the hall,” Hoyer added.

Source One Plastics is a joint venture between Hoyer’s company 23 Oaks Investments and polyolefin giant LyondellBasell. The sorting and recycling plant in Eicklingen has a capacity of 70,000 t/y.