Veolia UK invests £1m at Dagenham recycling plant

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 increasing demand driven by the pact.
 
The investment involved adding a new granulator and processing kit, with an upgrade of 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,” said 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 the company had 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 explained.
 
As part of its sustainability commitment, Veolia is currently working in partnership with Unilever on the development of a new, detectable black pigment for bottle used to package its personal care ranges.