Veolia UK has made a £1m (€1.1m) investment in its Dagenham Plastic Recycling facility, in east London, in response to growing demand for recycled plastics.
A founding member of the UK’s Plastic Pact, Veolia said it had increased its food grade production by 20% to meet the manufacturers’ increasing demand which has been driven by the pact.
The new investment involved adding a new granulator, a new processing kit and upgrading the washing process, Veolia added.
“The UK Plastics Pact has given a boost to the industry that was needed to make plastic recycling a reality,” according to Richard Kirkman, chief technology & innovation officer.
The pact, Kirkman added, has provided an opportunity for “an industry that is getting bad press” to become sustainable.
To comply with the pact, Kirkman said his company had has developed a number of projects with partners across the value chain.
“We still have a long way to go to 2025 but it’s extremely positive. Recycling is a chain of events from manufacturer, consumer to recycler and we need each part of the chain to make changes to have successful scalable results,” he added.
As part of its sustainability commitment, Veolia is currently working in partnership with Unilever on the development of a new detectable black pigment for its personal care bottles.
Veolia invests £1m in UK recycling plant
Veolia