UK’s largest plastic recycling centre to open in Colby

A MAJOR new plastic recycling facility designed to handle large-scale waste streams in the food and retail sector is set to open in Corby, Northamptonshire.

The £20m (US$26m) 12,820 m2 facility will process around 38,000 t/y of plastic and create more than 30 jobs, as part of efforts to expand the UK’s domestic recycling capacity.

Circular economy specialist Reconomy will operate the plant as part of its Eurokey brand. The facility will use a closed-loop system, recycling several grades of plastic into plastic pellets for food packaging for supermarkets.

Reducing reliance on exports

In recent years, domestic recycling operations in the UK have been on the decline. A Guardian investigation found that over the past two years, 21 plastic recycling firms have shut down.

According to environmental data firm ENDS Report, the UK exports around 600,000 t/y of plastic waste to countries where it is cheaper to process, including Indonesia.

Industry estimates suggest the UK could be missing out on a recycling sector worth around £2bn (US$2.6bn) and supporting 5,000 jobs by relying on overseas processing.

Building back infrastructure

The UK produces around 2.2m t/y of recyclable plastic, 23% of which it has the capacity to reprocess domestically.

The Colby facility is Eurokey’s second plastic recycling facility in the UK. Its existing plant in Kettering processing around 70,000 t/y of plastic and 200,000 t/y of cardboard.

Mike Benton, recycling loop managing director at Reconomy, said: “This facility will play a major role in increasing domestic recycling capacity and reducing reliance on virgin plastic by keeping high-quality material in circulation. It will also benefit the local economy.”

The company said the facility is nearing the end of its construction phase and should be operational by the end of the year.