Nestlé UK and Ireland are making a significant investment in a groundbreaking plastic recycling plant set to open in Durham. Impact Recycling, the brainchild behind the project, will introduce a pioneering facility designed to process challenging-to-recycle flexible plastics, commonly found in food packaging. The venture is expected to transform these plastics into pellets, fostering the creation of new flexible products such as postbags and refuse bags.
Nestlé is set to provide Impact Recycling with a substantial £7 million loan to kickstart the innovative process. Additionally, the project receives financial support from Innovate UK. With these investments in place, the facility is on track to become operational by late summer 2024.
At the core of the facility’s operations is the Baffled Oscillation Separation System (BOSS). This innovative technology employs water to spin waste plastics, causing materials to either sink or float based on their density. The BOSS system streamlines the sorting process, facilitating the effective recycling of diverse materials.
Upon its opening, the recycling site is projected to handle 25,000 tonnes of hard-to-recycle plastic annually. The processed pellets will serve as sustainable alternatives for virgin plastic films in construction, agriculture, and the manufacturing of various products, including bin bags. Remarkably, the facility has the potential to exceed the amount of flexible plastic packaging placed on the market by Nestlé UK and Ireland.
To ensure a steady supply of recyclable materials, packaging from popular Nestlé products such as KitKat wrappers, Purina pet food pouches, Rowntree confectionery sharing bags, and Nestlé Cereal bags will be collected from major supermarket collection points.
Sokhna Gueye, head of packaging at Nestlé UK & Ireland, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration, emphasizing Nestlé’s commitment to sustainable packaging solutions. Gueye said, “Supporting innovative technologies like this is just one of the many steps we are taking towards achieving this goal.”
David Walsh, CEO of Impact Recycling, acknowledged Nestlé’s crucial role in making the project a reality, stating, “Without the funding from Nestlé, this development would not have been possible.”
Nestlé’s investment aligns with its broader sustainability goals. The company aims to design nearly 100% of its packaging for recycling by 2025 in the UK and Ireland, with ongoing efforts to enhance recyclability and reusability.
Paul Davidson, smart sustainable plastic packaging challenge director at Innovate UK, said, “This facility is a great step towards the UK meeting its Plastic Pact targets.” The initiative reflects a collaborative effort to drive innovation and increase the nation’s capacity to recycle flexible plastic packaging.