Amcor completes upgrade to UK plastics recycling facility

The facility, which processes both post-consumer and industrial flexible plastic waste, now incorporates enhanced quality and safety systems.

According to Amcor, these upgrades have improved the consistency and quality of recycled output and will enable the use of an additional 2,800 tonnes of recyclate annually in flexible packaging.

The Heanor plant operates a fully integrated recycling process – including sorting, grinding, washing, separation and reprocessing – to convert flexible plastic waste into post-consumer recycled (PCR) polymers.

These materials are used in Amcor’s packaging portfolio, including non-contact sensitive industrial packaging, collation shrink films and stretch films for pallet stabilisation.

Gerald Rebitzer, Vice President Sustainability Operations and Advocacy at Amcor, commented: “Recycling flexible plastics at scale is essential for achieving circularity and ensuring supply chain resilience.

“This latest investment at Heanor reinforces Amcor’s strategy to support circular packaging systems while helping customers meet evolving environmental expectations.”

The site also features a water treatment system that allows for water recirculation within the recycling process.

Waste from the process is sent to an Energy from Waste (EfW) plant in nearby Nottingham.

The upgraded facility was officially unveiled at an event attended by MP Linsey Farnsworth and representatives from Amcor, including Rebitzer.

Amcor and Berry Global merger

The Heanor site was formerly part of Berry Global, which merged with Amcor in November 2024.

It initially opened in 2021, sourcing material from both household and industrial waste to recycle approximately 1,200 tonnes per year.

Capacity increased in April 2024, alongside two of Berry Global’s other plastic recycling facilities in Germany and Poland.

The installation project at Heanor was co-funded by WRAP.

Amcor stated that the investment in the facility is part of the company’s strategy to scale up flexible plastics recycling as demand grows ahead of mandatory kerbside collection of flexible packaging in 2027.