Materials

The first UK plant capable of converting post-consumer PET and HDPE back into food-grade plastic opened last week.

Closed Loop Recycling in Dagenham will be able to process 35,000 tonnes of plastic per year, equivalent to around 20% of the plastic bottles collected for recycling in the UK.

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), Marks & Spencer, Nampak and Reynolds Food Packaging are among the first customers to buy recycled food-grade plastic from the plant.

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said it was too early to say which of the firm's products might use rPET. However, managing director Hubert Patricot said: "We have a goal to use on average 25% rPET across CCE's European operations by the end of 2010."

Funding has been secured for a second, larger Closed Loop plant in the north of England, which will have a capacity of 50,000 tonnes.

The Dagenham site is able to sort and separate mixed plastics and reprocess clear PET, light blue PET and uncoloured HDPE. The recycled plastic is expected to cost the same as virgin material.

Closed Loop Recycling managing director Chris Dow said the new plant was "evidence that the UK is undergoing a recycling revolution".