ECO Plastics Celebrates Sorting ONE BILLION Bottles

25 May 2011

Plastics recycler ECO Plastics has celebrated sorting its one-billionth bottle since reopening last November after a fire destroyed its storage and sorting facilities in August 2009

Using the fire as an opportunity to rethink the layout of the plant the company says it has optimised the flow of plastics across the site.

Having also introduced state-of-the-art Stadler, TITECH and Herbold equipment and increased its sorting capacity to 100,000 tonnes of plastics per year, the management team have seen the factory become the "largest and most sophisticated in Europe", according to ECO.

The achievement comes after the business signed a landmark agreement with Coca Cola Enterprises in March, which will see the two develop a bespoke facility on the Hemswell site.

Commenting on the announcement, Jonathan Short, Managing Director of ECO Plastics said: "It would be easy to describe this milestone as proof that its business as usual, but that's not the case. We've gone far beyond the point where we were at before the fire, to the extent that the plant is now a flag-ship for the entire European industry.

"Our recent deal with Coca Cola Enterprises is a first for the UK and means that we will continue to grow. Once the work has been completed during the early part of 2012, we will be able to sort 140,000 tonnes of plastic per year, almost 50 percent of the total number of bottles collected nationally.

"That's clearly a sizeable percentage, but given that the UK recovers less than half of the bottles used every year, there is definitely room for expansion. The challenge now is to make sure that we make the most of the situation, by helping people understand that plastic is a valuable resource."

Edward Leigh, MP for Gainsborough was on hand to throw the one-billionth bottle on to the sorting line. He said: "ECO Plastics is a wonderful example of a local business that has tapped into a national trend and is now benefitting as a result. They are to be commended not only for helping the growth of low carbon packaging nationally, but for also playing a very real role in the local economy."

For more information visit www.ecoplasticsltd.com

Darrel Moore