Continuum Recycling, the joint venture between ECO Plastics and Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has celebrated recycling a quarter of a billion plastic bottles.
The number was reached only nine months after the £15m plant, which is the UK’s largest, was opened by then Waste Minister, Lord Taylor of Holbeach.
Located on the site of ECO Plastics’ existing facility in Hemswell, itself the world’s largest plastics sorting plant, Continuum is now responsible for processing more than 50% of the UK’s bottle grade rPET plastic.
“Taking ten months to move from ground breaking to full commissioning for a plant of this scale and sophistication is no small achievement,” said Jonathan Short, managing director of ECO plastics, “but to exceed our ramp up plan is further testament to the expertise and dedication of our team.”
The success of the plant has allowed CCE, which is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, to use 25% recycled plastic in all their bottles since the end of 2012.
Nick Brown, associate director of recycling at CCE said: “Continuum is a state-of-the-art facility and is truly transforming recycling in this country demonstrating the vast potential of the British reprocessing sector.”
It is estimated that the plant, which can process the equivalent of two billion two litre bottles a year, will save around 33,500 tonnes of CO2 every year, the equivalent of taking over 15,715 cars off the road.
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