Plastic recycling has been improved with a revolutionary plant in London being the first to recycle waste plastic bottles back into useful food packaging material.
Closed Loop Recycling will take 35,000 tonnes of recovered plastic bottles, including milk and soft drink bottles and turn them back into recycled raw material for new food and drink packaging. The plant will divert a significant amount of waste from landfill. The first customers to purchase the recycled food grade plastic from the plant include Coca-Cola and prominent UK retailer Marks & Spencer.
Closed Loop believe that the new plant is a very exciting step forward for the recycling industry. “This plant represents the evidence that the UK is undergoing a recycling revolution — until now there has been no facility to recycle bottles back into plastic food packaging”, explained Closed Loop Recycling managing director, Chris Dow.
“The industry and consumer are now viewing recycled plastic in a completely new light, it is no longer waste, it is a valuable resource. In addition, each plastic bottle that we recycle reduces the bottle’s carbon footprint by around 25%.”
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Londoners want to be green and recycle more, so it is welcome news that this state-of-the-art recycling plant in Dagenham is now open to recycle tonnes of the capital’s plastic waste that was previously destined for landfill. This is good for London and good for the environment.”
Coca Cola Enterprises (CCE) is supporting the scheme, as part of its wider environmental commitments. Coca-Cola Enterprises managing director, Hubert Patricot, said the company is keen to support such initiatives as they look to the future. “Sustainable packaging is something we are committed to. We have a goal to use on average 25% recycled PET across CCE’s European operations by the end of 2010.
“We are delighted that Closed Loop Recycling’s plant in London will help us purchase recycled PET in the UK. It’s very encouraging to see a process that allows waste to be collected from UK consumers, reprocessed locally, with the recycled product being put back to use in our factories across the UK.”
Using leading edge technologies, Closed Loop Recycling will turn what may have been previously exported to developing countries at low value or discarded into landfill into new material suitable for food and drink packaging. Thus, creating a circle of constantly recycled plastic.
For further information contact:
Closed Loop Recycling
info@closedlooprecycling.co.uk
www.closedlooprecycling.co.uk