World's largest plastics recycling plant opens in Europe

Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) and ECO Plastics officially opened their joint venture, Continuum Recycling. Completed on time and on budget, the ￡15 million facility is a first for Great Britain, and brings the recycling process full-circle, with used plastic packaging sorted and reprocessed domestically, before returning to GB shelves as part of another bottle.

Officially opened by Environment Minister Lord Taylor of Holbeach, the Continuum Recycling plant will more than double the amount of bottle-grade recycled plastic (rPET) previously created in Britain, and will allow CCE to meet its commitment to use 25% rPET in all its bottles by the end of 2012. The factory is located at ECO Plastics’ existing site in Lincolnshire, which, with the additional capacity, becomes the world’s largest plastics reprocessing facility.

Continuum Recycling will be used this summer by Coca-Cola as part of an initiative to collect Coke and additional PET soft drinks bottles and turn them back into new bottles on the shelves within six weeks.

Continuum Recycling is the first time the beverage and recycling industries have formed a long-term strategic partnership and will provide CCE with high-quality rPET for a minimum of ten years. It will save around 33,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, the equivalent of taking over 15,715 cars off the road. 30 new skilled jobs have been created for the local area as a result of the partnership.

The opening of Continuum Recycling will take Coca-Cola a huge step towards helping LOCOG make London 2012 the most sustainable Games possible.  The eyes of billions around the world will be on the UK throughout London 2012, and this presents a unique chance to trigger shifts in sustainable behaviour.