News

The Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap) has invited companies to tender for mixed plastics recycling trials to discover the commercial viability of mixed plastics recycling in the UK.

Wrap's target for the project, due to start in September, is to develop at least 40,000 tonnes of recycling capacity a year in the UK by 2011.

Wrap has split the scheme into three parts, which can be tendered for on an individual basis or all three.

The first part of the scheme will be a materials recovery facility (MRF) processing trial investigating effective mixed plastics sorting processes.

The second will be a commercial scale recycling trial that will include the management of what remains and cannot be recycled.

Finally, there will be a detailed economic assessment of the commercial sustainability of mixed plastics recycling.

It is hoped the study will stimulate investment in MRF operations.

Wrap plastic sector manager Paul Davidson said the scheme was the "next major step to widespread mixed plastics recycling in the UK".

The closing date for tenders is Monday 25th August at 12.30pm.