Recresco 5.5m glass plant nears completion

Recrescos new 5.5 million glass recycling facility in Kent is expected to be operating towards its 200,000 tonnes per year capacity later this month, managing director Tim Gent has confirmed.

Mr Gent said that the plant previously slated for completion last year is currently operating at around a quarter of its capacity, but that installing very technically advanced state-of-the-art separating technology had caused a number of delays in its upping its processing tonnage.

Situated at Swanscombe, close to Northfleet, the development will be the firms fifth UK plant, following Recresco facilities at Ellesmere Port, Southampton, Cwmbran and at its head office in Nottingham.

When fully operating, the plant is expected to clean and sort around 40 tonnes of glass per hour from materials recovery facilities (MRFs), in order to produce glass at a quality suitable for remelt applications.

The plant removes materials such as ceramics and paper to produce furnace ready cullet to distribute to glass manufacturers. Clear and brown glass will remain predominantly with UK manufacturers, while surplus green glass will be exported to European glass producers.

Speaking to letsrecycle.com, Mr Gent said his main concern was to yield as much quality material as possible out of the input tonnage: We have been able to make the investment off the back of the high value PRN and we know that recovering remelt quality glass from that material is possible the yield on this plant will be just as high as if it kerbside separated.

He said: We are starting to increase tonnages and expect to be getting closer to capacity in mid-April. We are working two eight-hour shifts per day at the moment, but we intend to eventually get it running 24 hours a day.

At the moment the glass is being used for remelt entirely in the UK. We will be exporting the surplus once we are running at capacity, but we dont have any surplus at the moment.

Recresco

The glass recycling firm first announced plans for the plant in April 2013 (see letsrecycle.com story), with the three-acre development supported by a 5.5 million finance package from bank HSBC.

Recresco was started in 1978 by Alan Gent and is now managed by his four sons. As well as glass, the firm also processes cans, plastic and Tetrapaks.

Last month, the government announced that the glass packaging recycling target for obligated businesses would be amended to 75% this year from 81%, then rising 1% per year up to 2016 when it will reach 77% (see letsrecycle.com story).

As a result, many in the glass industry are expected glass and glass PRN prices to a fall (see letsrecycle.com story).