Viridor has agreed a two-year contract with a UK plastics company to reprocess around 5000 tonnes of recycling sacks, shopping bags, and film each year, material which would have otherwise been sent abroad to develop end-of-waste products.
The material is sourced from MRFs in Crayford, Milton Keynes, Masons, and Plymouth, with the previous markets for this grade of plastic being Asian countries.
Keith Trower, Managing Director of Viridor, said: “Viridor is actively seeking opportunities to agree end-of-waste contracts with reprocessors here in the UK where this demand and capacity exists.”
“The resource market remains a global market, governed by the basic principles of supply and demand, but we recognise public sentiment that the UK should find a way to deal with its own waste.”
“This was the view of four in five people polled in Viridor’s 2018 Recycling Index, and this is reflected in our focus on companies who are investing in the UK and Europe to meet the capacity gap in UK waste production and our reprocessing of certain grades of polymer.”
“These partnerships offer real opportunities for UK companies to come together to advance recycling and circular economy ambitions, giving the public added confidence that their efforts at home can see materials go on to live another life, moving away from a disposable society.”