UK’s first large-scale plastic film recycling centre to be built in Darlington

A FORMER bridge engineering works in Darlington has been earmarked for the installation of a large-scale plastic film recycling facility – the first of its kind in the UK.

Chemical recycling company Endolys has taken over the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company site, which has been dormant since 2021.

The company has committed £120m (US$158m) to build several production units that will take plastic film collected from municipal waste facilities and convert it into pyrolysis oil – which is commonly used as a fuel in heavy industry.

Endolys’ plan for the plant is split in two phases. The first will see the construction of six production units capable of processing 60,000 t/y of shredded plastic film into 40,000 t of pyrolysis oil, with the second phase doubling capacity.

The company says the installation will create up to 120 jobs.

Michael Fox, CEO of Endolys, said: “This is an exciting project that will not only create high quality jobs in the growing recycling industry, but will also provide a major boost to the circular economy by diverting plastic waste – including many single-use items such as cups, straws and plastic bags – away from incineration and landfill, converting them back into a useful product.”

Film recycling

Recycling plastic film is possible in the UK, but not in the same waste streams as hard plastics as films can contaminate recycling streams and damage processing machinery.

Many supermarkets now offer collection services for soft plastics and films, and several local authorities are trialling kerbside collections for plastic film – which are currently only widely available for rigid plastics.

Extensive research has been carried out on breaking down hard-to-recycle plastics into pyrolysis oil. In August, a Dutch plant produced its first batch of pyrolysis oil from mixed plastic waste.

Endolys says its recycling plant will be equipped with technology developed by the Niutech Environment Technology Corporation, which is already in use at more than 40 plants worldwide.

Local scepticism

Concerns have been raised about the development of the plant, particularly regarding the health and environmental impacts of producing pyrolysis oil from plastic waste.

If processed incorrectly, pyrolysis runs the risk of releasing toxic substances into the atmosphere, soil and waterways, as plastics may contain corrosive or hazardous additives. The process also requires significant energy for shredding and heating the material.

In response to these concerns, a spokesperson for Endolys said: “It does not involve combustion and, in fact, diverts materials away from incineration and landfill, delivering an estimated 170,000 tonnes of CO2 savings per year.”

Subject to planning and environmental approval, the company expects phase one operations to begin by the end of next year.