Local authority and plastics industry delegates were shown around the plastics recycling facility (PRF) on the Medway City industrial estate, which Viridor believes is one of the most sophisticated plants of its kind in the country.
The facility is capable of separating mixed plastics from contaminants such as metal, paper and glass, as well as crucially separating the plastics by polymer. Material is baled on-site and transported onwards for reprocessing. Total permitted input for the site is around 75,000 tonnes of mixed plastics per year.
Viridor has designed the plant to have the flexibility to process and sort a wide variety of household-rigid plastic items, including PET and HPDE bottles and PP pots, tubs and trays. The firm claims that the plant will be able to respond quickly to changes in the availability of polymers caused by seasonal trends and market demand.
Sorting
It is believed that by increasing the level of sorting applied to mixed plastic streams, firms can extract a greater value from household-collected plastics. Viridor’s Rochester plant continues the trend for the development of advanced sorting facilities in the UK (see letsrecycle.com story).
Kit for the plant was provided by German engineering firm Stadler, and includes 16-Titech optical sorting units and near infrared polymer recognition software. Although most of the sorting is done via an automated system, the plant also has a 12-person picking line to remove contaminants.
Opening the plant yesterday, Viridor chief executive Ian McAulay, said: “This facility is transforming waste into quality resources. I am very proud to be a part of what is happening here today.
“One challenge of the circular economy is explaining to people what that means. This plant helps to explain that: you take something that was once a discard and turn it into something valuable and useful.”
‘Innovative’
The Mayor of Medway, councillor Barry Kemp was also on-hand to cut the ribbon at the plant, and praised Viridor for its ‘innovative and forward looking approach’ in setting up the facility.
He said: “This investment keeps Viridor at the forefront of plastics processing in the UK. It is encouraging to learn that by transforming waste into raw materials the company is making a contribution to improving the UK’s resource efficiency.”
- In what turned out to be a day of positive news for Viridor, a judge upheld a decision by Sutton council to award planning consent for the firm’s proposed EfW plant at Beddington Lane in South London.
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