Nestlé is investing £7 million in the firm Impact Recycling as it ramps up its efforts to process hard to recycle plastics.
The site, which will also be supported by an Innovate UK grant, is set to be operational from late Summer 2024.
The firm will carry out a process known as baffled oscillation separation which sorts the waste plastics by spinning them in water meaning that different materials sink or float, depending on their density – making them easier to sort.
The site will have the capacity to take 25,000 tonnes of plastic and produce the pellets which can be used to replace virgin plastic films in construction and agriculture, as well as for making bin bags.
The move will see customers have the ability to recycle packaging including KitKat wrappers, Purina pet food pouches and Rowntree sharing bags at supermarket collection points.
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Earlier this month Nestlé reported that it reduced single use plastic by over 10%.
The sustainability moves come in the wake of Greenpeace and Break Free From Plastic activists sending back plastic to the firm along with a set of anti-greenwashing demands.
“I am thrilled to be joining forces with Impact Recycling and helping fund this new plant in Durham. At Nestlé, we are dedicate to ensuring our packaging can have multiple lives and doesn’t end up as waste in landfill,” said Nestlé UK and Ireland head of packaging Sokhna Gueye.
“Supporting innovative technologies like this is just one of the many steps we are taking towards achieving this goal,” she continued.
She added that the company is aiming to “ensure as close to 100% of our packaging is designed for recycling by 2025”.
She continued: “It is fantastic to see our packaging given a second life, and we are looking at many partnerships to help encourage the collection and recycling infrastructure in the UK.”
Impact Recycling CEO David Walsh added: “We are delighted to partner with Nestlé on this initiative to develop a 25,000-tonne commercial recycling plant for post-consumer flexible plastic. Without the funding from Nestlé this development would not have been possible”
