Nestlé is putting £7 million into a new recycling plant in Durham, and it’s going to be a game-changer. The plant, called Impact Recycling, will handle those tricky flexible plastics that are usually used for food packaging. Instead of ending up in the trash, these plastics will be turned into pellets that can be used to make new stuff like postbags and refuse bags.
Nestlé is really backing this project, providing a £7 million loan to get it off the ground. Plus, they’re getting a grant from Innovate UK. The plant is expected to start running in late Summer 2024.
The cool thing about this plant is the way it sorts the waste plastics. It uses a process called Baffled Oscillation Separation System (BOSS) which spins the plastics in water. Depending on their density, the materials either sink or float, making it easier to separate and recycle them.
When it’s up and running, the plant will be able to handle 25,000 tonnes of this plastic and produce pellets that can replace virgin plastic films in construction and agriculture, or be used to make bin bags. That’s more than the amount of flexible plastic packaging Nestlé UK and Ireland puts out.
They’re also planning to collect packaging like KitKat wrappers, Purina pet food pouches, Rowntree confectionery sharing bags, and Nestlé Cereal bags from major supermarket collection points for recycling.
Sokhna Gueye, Head of Packaging at Nestlé UK & Ireland, is really excited about this project. She said, “I am thrilled to be joining forces with Impact Recycling and helping fund this new plant in Durham. At Nestlé, we are dedicated to ensuring our packaging can have multiple lives and doesn’t end up as waste in landfill. Supporting innovative technologies like this is just one of the many steps we are taking towards achieving this goal.
“In the UK and Ireland, our efforts continue at pace to ensure as close to 100% of our packaging is designed for recycling by 2025, and we continue to work towards all of our packaging being recyclable or reusable. It is fantastic to see our packaging given a second life, and we are looking at many partnerships to help encourage the collection and recycling infrastructure in the UK.”
David Walsh, CEO of Impact Recycling, is also on board with Nestlé. He said, “We are delighted to partner with Nestle on this initiative to develop a 25,000-tonne commercial recycling plant for post-consumer flexible plastic. Without the funding from Nestlé this development would not have been possible.
“Through this funding, Nestlé demonstrates its unwavering commitment to innovation and the pursuit of sustainable solutions for plastic packaging.”
Paul Davidson, Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge Director at Innovate UK, added, “We’re delighted to be supporting this project, driving innovation to increase the UK’s capacity to recycle flexible plastic packaging is a priority area for the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge and this facility is a great step towards the UK meeting its Plastic Pact targets.
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