Wastefront to build its first tyre waste recycling plant in the UK

Wastefront AS , a Norwegian tyre waste recycling company, has announced Maria Moræus Hanssen , former Deputy CEO and COO at Europe’s leading oil and gas company, Wintershall DEA, as its Chairperson of the Board.

The company can now confirm its first plant will be located in the UK and is currently assessing sites, with a view to commencing construction in the near future.

Founded in Oslo in 2019 by Inge Berge (CEO), Christian Armand Hvamstad (CSO and Director), and Vegard Bringsjord (CFO), Wastefront, converts disused tyres into useful commodities, including liquid hydrocarbons and carbon black, which can then be reutilised in processes such as alternative fuel or ground rubber manufacturing.

Wastefront recently received funding from the Norwegian state-owned company and national development bank, Innovation Norway.

Heading up Wastefront’s board, Maria brings international experience from top-level positions within oil, gas and energy companies such as Hydro, Equinor, Aker and Engie, and has served as a board member of multiple Scandinavian industry leading companies - including Det norske oljeselskap ASA, Electromagnetic Geoservices ASA, and Yara International - over the past twenty years, with current, active board member positions at Alfa Laval, Scatec Solar and Oslo Bygg.

Maria Moræus Hanssen comments: “I’m excited to join Wastefront and help address the global issue of unsustainable tyre waste. For many years, end-of-life tyres have represented a problem for which there have been no long-term solutions available that combine innovation with economic viability. I am confident that the founders have assembled a team that can make an valuable contribution to a cleaner future by dealing with this specific waste problem, where end-of-life tyres no longer end up in landfills.”

“An important element in bringing about circular economies and sustainable waste handling is to handle waste locally. The UK is a global centre of industry, which makes it an ideal location for our first plant. The plan is to then expand across Europe as the technical solution and business concept continuously evolves.”