Morrisons has bought a significant stake in a new recycling facility in order to process hard-to-recycle soft plastics.
The retailer said the new site in Fife would initially be able to handle 15,000 tonnes of flexible plastic packaging a year. This includes chocolate wrappers, crisp packets, and food film, which would be sent to the facility from Morrisons distribution centres across the country.
The plant will turn hard-to-recycle flexible food packaging into plastic flakes, pellets and boards.
It is co-owned and being constructed by recycling plant specialists Yes Recycling with the creation of 60 jobs. The site will also handle kerbside collection material from Cireco Scotland.
Morrisons is also looking at ways to use the recycled material from the site for a range of applications, including store fixtures and fittings, while new Ecosheets are being manufactured at the site for use in the agriculture and construction industries.
The move forms part of Morrisons commitment that by 2025, it will recycle and reuse the equivalent amount of plastic it puts on to the market.
It has already announced it will reduce its own brand plastic packaging by 50% by the same year.
Since 2017, Morrisons has reduced its own brand plastic packaging by over 8,000 tonnes a year and replaced another 7,000 tonnes so that it is fully recyclable.
“Lots of work has been done by retailers to reduce plastic, but little to recycle what remains,” said Morrisons procurement director Jamie Winter.
“We’re taking on that challenge and making a significant investment in a state-of-the-art soft plastic recycling site. It’ll take problematic plastics, recycle them here in the UK, and give them a new life. And by 2025 we want to increase our capability to be able to recycle and reuse the equivalent amount of plastic we put out on to the market within our own facilities.”
Helen Bird, strategic technical manager in plastics at Wrap, said: “It’s very encouraging to hear of the investment made by UK Plastics Pact member Morrisons in the Yes Recycling plastic bags and wrapping recycling facility.
“While we need to reduce unnecessary plastic, when it comes to recycling we need to make it as simple for people as possible. Packaging design needs to be improved and we need to get collection services rolled out across the nation – from people’s homes in the future and from supermarkets in the interim. But ensuring the material is actually remanufactured into new products or packaging is key – that is after all the whole point of recycling.”
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