The multi-polymer recycling plant at Avonmouth will produce 60KTPA of recycled plastic a year from 81KTPA feedstock
Image: Viridor signs five-year contract with Unilever to supply recycled plastic. Photo: courtesy of Viridor.
UK-based waste management company Viridor has agreed to supply recycled plastic to consumer goods company Unilever.
Under the five-year agreement with Unilever, Viridor will supply recycled plastic from its Avonmouth Resource Recovery Centre.
Located near Bristol, England, the £65m ($84m) centre will be powered by the energy generated from Viridor’s new £252m ($325.3m) Avonmouth Energy Recovery Facility.
The multi-polymer recycling plant at Avonmouth will produce 60 kilo-tonnes per annum (KTPA) of high quality recycled plastic a year from 81KTPA feedstock.
It is expected to increase production to 63KTPA of recycled material from 89KTPA feedstock in three years.
The recycling plant will produce PET, HDPE and PP in flake and pellet form
Viridor resource management managing director Keith Trower said: “Viridor and Unilever are committed to helping the UK achieve its recycling and sustainability targets and this contract demonstrates how we are translating that ambition in action.
“By putting more recycled plastic back into the economy, and powering that process with non-recyclable waste, we are creating a sustainable solution and ensuring consumer brands, such as Unilever, have access to quality post-consumer recycled material.”
Viridor said that its project will put 60,000 tonnes of recycled plastic collected from bottles, pots, tubs and trays back into the economy annually as a feasible and sustainable solution to virgin plastic.
Scheduled to be operational in 2020/21, the recycling plant will produce recycled materials such as PET, HDPE and PP in flake and pellet form.
Previously, Viridor and Unilever have worked with Nextek to develop detectable black plastic packaging that was used for Unilever’s TRESemmé and Lynx personal care brands.
Viridor MD Phil Piddington said: “Reprocessed plastic uses 50% less electricity than virgin plastic, which is already a very persuasive argument in favour of recycled materials.
“When we reduce our energy consumption further by tapping into the low carbon power created through energy recovery, we can achieve even greater sustainability and environmental efficiency.”