WIREDGOV

Closed Loop Recycling opened its revolutionary first plant in London in June. Now, backed by private equity investment from the Foresight Group and backing from the Assembly Government, the company intends to open its second plant - which will be located in the Deeside area.

The new recycling plant, which will employ 50 people, will take an annual total of 50,000 tonnes of water, milk and other soft drinks bottles which would otherwise end up in landfill sites and turn them back into recycled raw material for new food and drink packaging.

Company Managing Director, Chris Dow said:

This plant will allow us to make a real impact to plastic recycling in North Wales and North West England and we are delighted to have such positive support from the Welsh Assembly Government. This new venture is further evidence that the UK is undergoing a recycling revolution.

Until we started operations there was no facility to recycle plastic bottles back into plastic food packaging. Now that we provide that facility, the industry is beginning to view recycled plastic in a new light.

It's no longer waste. It's becoming a valuable resource. In addition, each plastic bottle we recycle reduces that bottle's carbon footprint by around 25 per cent.

We believe we are pioneering the future in packaging solutions.

Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said:

Closed Loop represents a real breakthrough in recycling technology and I'm delighted that we have worked with the company to secure this new investment in Wales.

The company's state-of-the-art facility at Deeside will make a major contribution to our ability to recycle plastic - which saves natural resources, reduces carbon and delivers real action on climate change.

Major brands such as Solo Cup Europe, Coca Cola Enterprises , Nampak and Logoplaste have already committed to buying recycled plastic from the North Wales plant. Veolia Environmental is continuing its long term support for Closed Loop Recycling by supplying the future plants with waste material.

According to a recent study, the total amount of plastic bottles entering the UK waste stream is approximately 525 ,000 tonnes a year- equivalent to an estimated 13 billion bottles. The study, in 2007, found that some 4.5 billion bottles were being recycled, with an estimated eight billion being exported or sent to landfill sites.

Related Links

http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/businessandeconomy/?lang=en

http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/?lang=en