The recycling company already collects and recycles scrap plastics nationwide, primarily from manufacturing, distribution and retail industries.
These are then marketed back into the manufacturing sector, both in the UK, Europe and export markets, as a ‘valuable and sustainable’ material feedstock.
Vanden UK is part of the global Vanden Group which also has offices in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Finland, Australia and Taiwan.
Facility
The Whittlesey facility gives the company a centrally located processing capability in the UK. The facility has been equipped with shredding, granulation and baling plant, and has a front-end material inspection and preparation area.
Combined, these will ensure that the plastics collected are treated to meet the ‘highest standards’ required by manufacturers worldwide, Vanden said.
The Whittelsey site incorporates three fully soundproofed granulation lines which have a combined throughput of up to 30 tonnes of plastic a day when operating on a single shift. The plant can handle multiple plastic streams and can change the plant set-up for different customer requirements.
“We have a decade of global plastics recycling and supply experience and took our time to find the right site and the deliver the required services.”
David Wilson
Vanden Recycling
The company has also secured land adjacent to the facility to create additional material storage space. It is noted that this will allow the facility to increase its operations to two shifts per day.
Currently, the site has created 12 jobs, but when fully operation this could increase to 20.
Confidence
Commenting on the opening of the new facility, David Wilson, managing director of Vanden Recycling in the UK, described the investment as a ‘vote of confidence in the UK.’
He continued: “There are many opportunities to expand plastics recycling in the UK, but the volatility of the markets means that doing so requires a high degree of expertise and understanding.
“We have a decade of global plastics recycling and supply experience and took our time to find the right site and the deliver the required services.
“Our intention is to expand this site and increase the quantity and quality of plastics recycled here in the UK. Demand for material is high – but only if it meets the right standards.
Post-indsutrial
Material being processed at the facility is focused primarily on post-industrial plastic waste from the vacuum forming, blow moulding, injection moulding, printing, retail and logistics sectors.
For some customers, Vanden said it will be able to take plastic scrap and process it ready for re-use by the same customer, providing a new way of maximising the value of original feedstocks.
In addition, Vanden has the capacity to effectively process redundant local authority wheelie bins.
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