Plastics recycling firm Jayplas (J&A Young) has opened a large-scale reprocessing facility for low density polyethylene film in Loughborough, Leicestershire, which is believed to be among the largest of its kind in the UK.
The facility, which became fully operational last month, has the capacity to process up to 25,000 tonnes per year of LDPE.
Material for the plant includes back-of-store film waste from retailers, post-consumer polyethylene, and plastic films from agricultural and construction sources. Much of this material would previously have been destined for processing facilities overseas.
The site, which formerly housed pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca, includes sorting, washing and granulating facilities, with the end product being a plastic granulate for use in the production of new plastic film products. Around 30 jobs were created through the development of the plant.
Much of the output of the plant will be used to manufacture refuse sacks and carrier bags at Jayplas extrusion plant at a nearby site in Loughborough, and a facility in Worksop where the company manufactures bags for life for sale to UK retailers.
Investment
Details of the financial cost of the development of the plant have not been revealed, but Jayplas has claimed that it represents a significant investment in its UK operations.
Commenting on the development, Jayplas operations director Mike Maxwell, said: The site allows us to provide a Closed loop product to our clients whilst supporting a circular economy. It is important to our clients for us to be producing quality products at the right price, but if you are doing that by using their waste that is really good for them.
Jayplas is committed to improving its UK infrastructure, and we see this as the next step forward.
Development of the plant increases the firms presence in the Midlands, with a number of facilities already operating in Loughborough, as well as a plastics sorting facility in South Normanton Derbyshire and a film processing plant in Smethwick.
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The firm also operates an additional film processing plant in Grimsby and a PET wash plant in Corby, where its head office is also located.
Jayplas has plans to expand its LDPE reprocessing capacity, and has said that it will look to establish another washing and granulating plant within the next 18 months. The new facility will most likely be located within the Leicestershire area.
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