Plastic recycling

The UK produces three million tonnes of plastic waste each year. Of this approximately 85 per cent is sent to landfill, eight per cent incinerated and seven per cent recycled. 

Viridor Polymer Recycling Ltd (VPR) is one of the leading reprocessors of domestic plastics in the UK, offering local authorities and waste management companies a viable alternative to landfill and volatile export markets.

Based in Skelmersdale, Lancashire, VPR recycles 3,000 tonnes per month of post-consumer plastic bottles into high value raw materials. The primary recyclate streams are PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene), which are of sufficient quality to be used in the most demanding applications as direct replacements for virgin polymer.

The process for recycling plastics bottles involves sorting the bales of plastics from local authorities or waste management companies into PET and HDPE streams. These are then intensively washed and granulated to form new flakes or pellets of polymer which can be used in different applications, including:

• Food and non-food contact bottles and trays
• Underground drainage products
• Fibre fill for soft furnishings

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Viridor Polymer Recycling