Closed Loop Recycling marketing manager Nick Cliffe told FoodProductionDaily.com that the facility expansion will involve an investment of around £12m ($18.8m, €15.2m).
Hundreds of jobs are set to be created in the UK recycling and packaging sectors as a result of the investment. More than 100 jobs will also be created at the Dagenham plant through the investment and existing positions will be safeguarded.
Food grade resin
"We can currently recycle around 35,000 tonnes of plastic, which at the moment is predominantly plastic bottles,” said Cliffe. “But in order to meet new UK government recycling targets we need to recycle other forms of plastic packaging. And at the moment there aren’t really the facilities to do that.”
“Therefore we decided to expand our facilities in order to increase our output to around 85,000 tonnes per year,” he said.
According to Cliffe, the investment will see the firm’s output of food grade plastics resin increase significantly.
“Firstly, we’ll be able to take recycle more plastics packaging, preventing it ending up at the landfill. We will also be able to provide more food grade plastics resin, which can go back to the front of the chain,” Cliffe added.
“We hope that through the expansion we’ll produce more food grade resin and the nation will be less reliant on landfills or the export of plastics. We can keep it in the UK plastic packaging loop.”
“It’s due for completion in late 2013, but we’re looking to break ground quite imminently.”
Olympic Legacy business
The company, which was born out of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, is a London Olympics legacy business – one that backed the UK’s successful Olympic bid.
The Dagenham plant, which is just a few miles away from the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, began production in 2008. Since then it has recycled more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic bottles.
“We’re in the middle of the Olympics, which is happening only a javelin-throw from our doorstep and we are proud to be one of its success stories,” said Closed Loop Recycling CEO Chris Dow.
The investment has received backing from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and UK Trade and Investment Minister, Lord Green
“I congratulate Closed Loop Recycling on its success in plastics purification and encouraging recycling – especially during the Olympics,” said Lord Green. “I warmly welcome its expansion plans, which are an excellent reflection of the strength of the UK market for low-carbon and environmental goods and services.”
The firm’s East-London facility currently has an output of 35,000 tonnes per year. Through the planned expansion, that figure should increase to around 85,000 tonnes, the firm has revealed.
