Esterpet owns a 25,000 tonnes per year capacity PET plant near Leeds, turning PET bottles into “high-purity plastic pellets”.
Biffa’s statement explained that that the pellets produced by Esterpet “are made into new plastic bottles for beverages, cosmetics and household goods, with the company’s customers including some of the largest brands in the UK and Europe”.
The Esterpet acquisition builds on Biffa’s plastics recycling division which includes plants in Seaham, Redcar and Washington. Combined with the Esterpet plant, Biffa will have around 185,000 tonnes of plastic recycling capacity in the UK.
Esterform
Alongside the acquisition of Esterpet Ltd, Biffa has made a “minority investment” in its sister company Esterform. Esterform on its website says it is the UK’s “largest independent converter of PET plastics”.
Biffa described Esterform as “a leading manufacturer of PET preforms”, and the company said it looks forward to working with Esterform “to deliver a UK circular economy for plastic packaging”. Recycled plastic from the Esterpet plant will likely continue to be sent to Esterform’s facility.
Esterform’s Leeds manufacturing site can be seen below.
‘Net-zero’
Phil Goodier, managing director at Biffa Polymers, said: “At Biffa, we are dedicated to playing our part in delivering a net zero, circular economy and it is vital that we continue to develop and invest in recycling infrastructure which can reduce the UK’s dependency on the export of plastics for recycling.
“Biffa Polymers provides solutions for the majority of post-consumer rigid plastic packaging, using the best available recycling technology to produce raw materials that are a substitute for virgin plastic packaging.”
Mr Goodier added that the acquisition of Esterpet “further enhances” Biffa’s capability in recycled PET at a time when demand is growing significantly as consumers and regulators demand more sustainable alternatives.
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