Longer hours sought to save loss-making former Valpak sorting facility

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The owners of a materials recycling facility in Preston are seeking to operate the plant for 24 hours a day in order to return it to profit.

Indonesian firm PGP Polymers now owns the facility that sorts plastics, and which was previously sold by Valpak to a company called JWS Lancashire.

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A planning application has been submitted to Lancashire County Council to operate the facility for 24 hours on weekdays, as the owners say that the plant is currently making a loss and this could put the facility at risk unless it is able to operate for longer.

Officials at the council have suggested that permission should be granted.

The applicant is proposing to install a new plant within the building that would sort plastic bottles and hard plastics into different polymer types such as PET, HDPE, PP, PS and PVC.

Around 14 tonnes per hour of plastics would be sorted, baled and then exported.

On its submission, PGP Polymers said that plastic materials have low margins, which are sensitive to volatile price fluctuations. It therefore requires longer working hours for the facility in order to sort more plastic to restore it to profitability.