Plasgran opened a new site in Warwickshire earlier this year and in May 2023, the company announced that it is considering consolidating the Wimblington site which has a capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year.
The facility was hit by a fire in July 2022 which Plasgran’s accounts for 2022, published in June, say caused “significant impact as several production machines were damaged beyond repair an the production capacity of the facility was reduced for a period of time”.
MBA
However, in an announcement yesterday (24 August), MBA Polymers announced that it is to open a new facility at the site though the company, owned by European Metals Recyclers, did not explicitly say it was acquired from Plasgran.
The new facility marks MBA Polymers UK’s fourth location in the UK, joining its original Worksop site in Nottinghamshire, a separation line in Dover acquired in 2019, and the Duddeston site in West Midlands, established in 2022.
Paul Mayhew, general manager at MBA Polymers UK, said: “We are delighted to announce our new facility in Cambridgeshire as the next exciting chapter in MBA Polymers UK’s story.
“The establishment of our fourth facility will significantly amplify our recycling capacities by 35%, diverting tonnes of plastics waste from landfill and providing high-quality recycled polymers back into the circular economy.
“We are dedicated to working with our customers to help them reach their sustainability goals, whilst keeping our carbon footprint to a minimum, in line with our ambitious commitment to become a net-zero business by 2040.”
Operational
MBA Polymers said the site will be operational from September 2023, creating 23 new staff positions.
The company added that the new site is an “important milestone in MBA Polymers UK’s ambitious growth strategy” and will help the company’s ability to produce 100,000 tonnes of recycled plastics for its customers by 2030, “while reducing demand on the Earth’s depleting resources”.
Plasgran
Berry announced in September 2022 that its operation in Wimblington, Cambridgeshire, was to be renamed from Plasgran to Berry Circular Polymers (see letsrecycle.com story).
Berry said that the renaming “reflects Berry’s leadership in recycling and the development and securing of circular polymers. This will support the move towards a circular and net zero economy, for which Berry has already targeted achieving 30% circular plastic use across its fast-moving consumer goods packaging by 2030.”
Plasgran/Berry Circular Polymers is one of the UK’s major recyclers of rigid plastics and was established in 1999. Among its feedstock is local authority-sourced material including source segregated PP pots, tubs and trays and bottles from materials recycling facilities (MRFs) and plastic recycling facilities (PRFs) as well as some HDPE. The company does not deal in PET products.
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