A 17.6m (US $34 million) proposed recycling plant in the UK will turn used water bottles into packaging for food.
According to the Foodindustry.com, the plan is to ease the pressure packagers are facing to reduce the waste that is sent to landfill sites.
The plant will be run by Closed Loop London, and will recycle polyethylene terephthalate in the UK. Millions of water bottles will be turned into food packaging a year. Soft drinks and cosmetic bottles will also be recycled.
The plant will be run by Closed Loop London (CLL), and will open in December of 2007, after which, the company expects approximately 35,000 tons of packaging will be recycled.
Foodindustry.com reports that the plant will use technology developed by United Resource Recovery Corporation to sort and clean the recycled plastic bottles to produce a packaging approved for food contact in the US and Europe.
Marks & Spencer has been reported as the first major retailer to commit to sending plastic waste from its London stores to the Closed Loop London plant for recycling.
Funding for the project has come from Foresight Venture Partners and a banking facility from Allied Irish Bank (GB), and is also supported by public sector funding from the London Development Agency (LDA) and the Waste & Resources Acton Programme (WRAP).
London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, is reportedly pleased with the forward development for recycling and sees this as a positive step in the fight against climate change.
Source: Foodindustry.com