New recycling plant will take all plastics
A new recycling plant in northeast England will be the first to accept different kinds of plastic. The site at Redcar, Teesside, is the first of its kind that will allow yoghurt pots, bags, bottles and other forms of plastic to be recycled at the same location.
The £1.87 million project, which is being run by Wrap and Biffa Polymers, will also provide jobs for 28 members of staff from the area of high unemployment. The money for the scheme was released by the government-funded Wrap organisation in January after research revealed that different types of plastic could be recycled from the same skips.
The process sees all the plastics cleaned together before they are sorted into different sections depending on their colours and polymer types. It is hoped that the plant, which begins production in April, will be able to process 15,000 tonnes of rubbish this year, going up to 20,000 by next year.
The waste, which will arrive at the site from local councils, households and companies, will be tuned into everyday items such as office furniture, bottles, boxes and plant pots. The highest-grade plastic will go on to a specialist food-grade Biffa plant which will turn it back into milk bottles.
Junior environment minister, Lord Henley praised the scheme as a way to improve recycling and job opportunities in the northeast. He added that he hoped the idea will bring an end to the puzzle families face everyday about which plastic items and suitable for recycling.
Source: http://www.recycle.co.uk
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