Austrian company ALPLA has worked with partners to open an 18,000 tonnes per year PET recycling facility in Romania.
Along with Romanian firm Ecohelp and Swiss company United Polymer Trading, the three companies have invested €7.5 million in the construction and equipping of the plant on an adjacent site to the existing Ecohelp facility in Targu Mures.
The facility is the result of a joint venture established in 2021. ALPLA brings its experience in recycling and packaging manufacturing, United Polymer Trading has an extensive distribution network for plastics and recycled materials, while Ecohelp supplies PET flakes produced from household waste.
Now that the facility has been opened, there are plans for a second extrusion line to double capacity. Feedstock will come from Romania and neighbouring countries.
ALPLA director Business Development, Procurement and Sales Recycling Georg Lässer said: “The growing importance of local recycling processes calls for increased commitment in the region. Together with our partners, we combine strengths, increase the processing quality of the recycled PET material and ensure the long-term supply of the southeast European market.”
As a result of this, ALPLA’s own recycling business and collaborations means it produces 203,000 tonnes of rPET and 74,000 tonnes of rHDPE per year worldwide.
