A new £65 million plastic recycling plant will be powered by electricity made from non-recyclable rubbish.
Pennon Group, the parent company of waste giant Viridor, will use power generated from its £252 million energy recovery facility in Avonmouth to supply the new site.
It will be powered by diverting 320,000 tonnes of waste from landfill, which will generate 32MW of electricity, enough to power around 44,000 homes.
The firm behind the project expects it will put 60,000 tonnes of recycled plastic from bottles, pots, tubs and trays back into the economy every year to be used again.
It notes recycled plastic uses 50% less electricity to produce than virgin plastic and says the addition of a £2 million water treatment plant on the site will further bolster its green credentials.
Pennon’s CEO Chris Loughlin said: “By using waste which cannot be recycled as the fuel to create low carbon electricity which will power plastics recycling we are creating a truly resource and energy efficient waste management solution.
“Unless action is taken now and investment in infrastructure is made, a plastic recycling capacity gap will undermine UK ambitions and the sustainability targets of retailers and the big consumer brands. We are, therefore, delighted to be leading the way.”
Source: Energy Live News
