Enviroo submits planning application for plastic recycling facility
Enviroo, a specialist PET (polyethylene terephthalate) recycler, has submitted a planning application for a plastic recycling facility which can re-use 100% of the PET it takes in and help recycle some of the 4.9 million tonnes of plastic waste created in the UK annually.
The planning application for a plastic recycling facility at Peel L&P Environmental’s 54-hectare strategic energy and resource hub, Protos, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire was submitted to Cheshire West & Chester Council following a recent consultation with local residents and businesses.
The facility will take PET – the main material used for food and drinks packaging such as plastic bottles and certain food packaging – and convert it into the raw material for new food-grade packaging. It will see an investment of around £20 million into the local economy and create 50 new, permanent jobs.
Enviroo will use proven technology to sort and wash the waste, before creating r-PET (recycled -PET) pellets that can be used by packaging manufacturers to create new packaging products. This technology is able to re-use 100% of the PET it takes in.
The company believes this will become increasingly important from April 2022, when a new law will see any packaging that contains less than 30% recycled PET taxed. Some manufacturers have gone further, pledging to include up to 50% recycled material in their packaging under the UK Plastics Pact. The facility will therefore help to meet growing UK demand for recycled PET.
“We were really pleased with the feedback we had from the consultation. Many respondents were really positive that this recycling facility would allow us to deal with more plastic waste on our shores and we look forward to engaging with the community on the benefits of recycling,” explained Ahmed Detta, CEO & Founder of Enviroo.
“The Government is trying to increase plastic recycling, and packaging manufacturers need to be prepared for the upcoming plastic tax legislation. This facility will provide the recycled PET they need in their products, while reducing the amount of virgin plastic we create.”
The proposed facility will be at the Plastic Park at Protos, which will cluster together plastic recycling and recovery technologies to create value from plastic waste, helping to avoid it ending up in landfill, exported overseas or in our oceans.
Jayne Hennessy, Development Manager at Peel L&P Environmental, added: “The PET recycling facility will be a key part of the Plastic Park planned at Protos, enabling us to take plastic bottles that often end up in landfill and use them to create a new packaging product. The £165m Plastic Park will include a range of innovative technologies that deal with different types of plastic each designed to extract the most value from the waste. Whether it’s been mixed or sorted the Plastic Park will be able to deal with numerous types of plastic.”
It is expected that a decision on the recycling facility will be made early next year. If approved, the facility will be operational by Spring 2022.