Europe's largest recycling plant has re-opened for business after being shut for 14 months following a devastating fire.
Situated in Hemswell, North Lincolnshire, the AWS Eco Plastics facility is capable of processing more than 100,000 tonnes of waste plastic each year, which is equivalent to two billion bottles.
Although it has only just re-opened after the fire, which destroyed its entire storage and sorting area, the factory is already looking to the future, aiming to make use of state-of-the-art technology to achieve an annual plastic recycling rate of 300,000 tonnes a year by the end of 2011, roughly around half of the total plastic waste produced in the UK.
According to AWS Eco Plastics chairman Jonathan Short, such growth will be made possible by the ongoing increase in demand for food and drinks packaging made from recycled plastic, both within Britain and overseas.
"This is a growth industry in which the UK has the potential to be a world-leader, a prime example of the government's low-carbon economy," he said.
This comes as the Scotsman has reported that the West Lothian College's Recycle Zone scheme, in which it is working alongside Coca Cola to reduce waste on its campus, is proving a big success.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the recycling industry includes; conveyors – screw conveyors – chain conveyors – belt conveyors
