Work begins on electronics recycling “super-plant”

Metal recycling giant Sims Group has appointed local contractors Dudley to build their new waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling facility at a 12 acre site on Newport's North Quay.

With the foundations already laid for the new development, it said the facility was expected to be operational within six to nine months, processing as much as 100,000 tonnes of WEEE annually.

He also outlined the key areas that the new plant will focus its operations on, including the dismantling of cathode ray tubes (CRT), involving the dismantling of TVs and monitors.

Equipment containing hazardous waste will be dismantled by hand, before entering the plant's mechanical processing line, while an asset recovery operation will also be based there for the refurbishment and reuse of WEEE.

The plant, which has been partially funded by the Welsh Assembly Government's Regional Selective Assistance Programme, is located just 200 metres down the road from Sims' existing Newport site, which opened in 2004 (see letsrecycle.com story).

Sims' European chief executive Graham Davy said: “This investment has been planned for some time and we are pleased that we are now finally able to implement our strategy since the government has laid down the regulations.

“This facility is a further demonstration of our commitment to best practice recycling both locally and nationally,” he added.

Footprint

When complete, it will bring the company's total footprint in the Welsh city to 36 acres, leading Mr Pilkington to claim that the firm's Newport docks operations will represent “one of the biggest recycling sites in the world”.

The new development is intended to complement Sims' existing plants in both the UK and mainland Europe, with Mr Pilkington particularly emphasising the role it will play alongside the firm's Manchester operations to offer options for WEEE processing.

Proposals for the recycling giant's Newport expansion were originally announced in late 2006, prior to the introduction of the WEEE Directive in the UK in January 2007, with planning approval being granted last September.

The site is already host to one of the world's largest metals shredders, as well as a large fridge recycling plant.