Morrisons is to become the first supermarket in the UK to own its own recycling operations through the acquisition of a major stake in a new recycling site in Fife. The site will reprocess ‘hard-to-recycle’ soft plastics.
Morrisons has also committed that by 2025, it will recycle and reuse the equivalent amount of plastic it puts on to the market within its own recycling facilities, to develop greater recycling in the UK. It has already announced it will reduce its own-brand plastic packaging by 50% by the same year.
The Fife site is the first of its type in the world. It is co-owned and being constructed by recycling plant specialists Yes Recycling. The plant will turn hard-to-recycle flexible food packaging into plastic flakes, pellets and boards. At current capacity, the site will take 15,000 tonnes of flexible plastic packaging a year.
The hard-to-recycle soft plastic – including chocolate wrappers, crisp packets, and food film – will be sent to the site from Morrisons distribution sites, and by Cireco Scotland to process kerbside collection material. In the past this material may have gone to landfill or been incinerated for energy.
Morrisons is also looking at ways to use the recycled material from the site for a range of applications, including store fixtures and fittings. In addition, new ‘Ecosheets’ are being manufactured at the site for use in the agriculture and construction industry.
Jamie Winter, Procurement Director at Morrisons, said: “Lots of work has been done by retailers to reduce plastic, but little to recycle what remains. 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, commented: “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.”
