Grand reopening for AWS plastic bottle plant

Plastics recycling firm AWS Ecoplastics has today (November 23) officially reopened its 100,000 tonne-a-year capacity plastic bottle recycling plant at Hemswell in Lincolnshire.

In a ceremony attended by representatives of the plastics recycling sector, retailers and local authorities, the Newcastle-based company announced the recommencement of operations at the £17million plant which had been struck by fire in August 2009 (see letsrecycle.com story).

In the keynote address, Peter Gangsted, chairman of AWS, said: “The plant that we reopen today is the largest and most advanced mixed plastic sorting facility in Europe and perhaps the world. We believe it is the most efficient and effective sorting facility and also the most accurate.”

And, Mr Gangsted pointed to the role that the plant would play in developing the burgeoning UK food grade plastics recycling market. “Our goal is to play our part in ensuring that the UK plastic waste does not end up in landfill but recovered and put to the best possible use in the UK.”

The official unveiling duties for the Hemswell facility were carried out Neil Thornton, director of waste and resources for Defra. Mr Thornton praised the recovery of the plant and hailed the Hemswell facility as an example of further development of a domestic plastics recycling market.

“This is just the king of plant that ministers have in mind when they talk about a green economy,” he said. “We all know how devastating an accident of the kind of your fire can be and how hazardous it can be for the business itself. And, I am delighted that it has come through all of that.”

The Hemswell facility is used to recycle mixed plastic feedstock, with AWS producing a food grade recycled PET (rPET) pellet. This can then be used in the creation of food contact packaging.

Fire

Also in his address, Mr Gangsted outlined the work that AWS had undertaken to renovate and rebuild the plant in the wake of the fire that struck the plant. He praised the efforts of staff and the partner companies in the immediate aftermath of the blaze to ensure operations could be continued.

The fire caused a plume of black smoke to become visible 30 miles from the site and was attended by 17 fire engines. “When we do something at AWS we pride ourselves on doing it properly and the fire was no exception,” he joked.

The 100,000 tonnes-a-year capacity plant was rebuilt to twice the size of the former plant and was opened for dry commissioning in July before commercial testing took place in August. The company said it is currently running at 75% of its capacity and it intends to expand its capacity to 140,000 tonnes-a-year over the course of 2011.

According to AWS, projections of plastic bottle recycling in the UK show that the domestic market will recycle 300,000 tonnes of bottles by the end of 2010, which means that the firm will account for around 50% of the market.

Jonathan Short, managing director of AWS, added: “Today is just the first step for AWS Ecoplastics. There is huge potential in the UK market and this can only grow as the demand for low-carbon food and drink packaging increases. This is a growth industry in which the UK has the potential to be a world-leader, a prime example of the government's low-carbon economy.”

The reopened Hemswell plant is served by a range of technologies. German engineering firm Stadler provided the majority of plant equipment, while there are 17 near-infrared sorting units from sorting specialist TiTech. Granulation and hot wash equipment was created by Herbold.