Minister sees how innovative technology can boost green economy

During a tour of a new recycling facility in South East London, the Minister of State for Business and Energy said that the innovative technology employed showed how dealing with waste and recycling properly could create jobs and boost economic growth.

Speaking at the PlasRecycle reprocessing plant in Woolich, The Rt Hon. Michael Fallon MP said that the Government’s industrial strategy was designed to give businesses in the UK the confidence to invest, and secure “highly skilled jobs and a stronger economy.”

The new facility, which started operations in late 2013, uses a high tech proprietary process developed by PlasRecycle over the past four years, to reprocess up to 20,000 tonnes per annum of used shopping bags and plastic films. The plant produces a plastic granulate that can be used for making new bags, replacing virgin materials. For every tonne of plastic packaging that is reprocessed and recycled, PlasRecycle says there is a corresponding saving of 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

 “We were delighted to welcome the Minister and show him around our new plant,” commented Duncan Grierson, PlasRecycle’s Founder and Chief Executive. “We are pleased to be contributing to the country’s environmental targets set by the EU’s Waste Framework Directive and the Climate Change Bill.”

Paul Levett, Chairman of PlasRecycle added: “We are pleased that our initiative is not only creating green jobs in the UK, but can be a key part of producer responsibility programmes for the packaging and retail industries. With this new solution, Local Authorities can now actively ask their residents to put carrier bags and other films into their recycling boxes."

Other guests attending the visit included representatives from Foresight Group, the London Waste and Recycling Board (“LWARB”), the Greater London Authority (“GLA”) and Waste & Resources Action Plan (“WRAP”).

Image: CEO Duncan Grierson, the Minister and Chairman Paul Levett outside PlasRecycle’s facility in Woolwich