The mixed plastics line at Biffa Polymers has been quietly mothballed due to difficulties in getting sufficient feedstock for the plant.
However, the company plans to resurrect the facility towards the end of this year.
The Biffa Polymers plant in Redcar, near Middlesbrough, was opened in 2008 to produce rHDPE. Then in March 2011, the mixed plastics line was opened giving the facility four plastics production lines with the assistance of a £1.187 million grant from WRAP.
While the three original lines were kept open, Biffa Polymers mothballed the mixed plastics line in January as it was not able to get a reliable source of mixed plastics to feed the facility.
A number of redundancies were also made at the same time.
However, the company plans to restart the mixed plastics line later in the year.
Biffa Polymers general manager Owen Franklin told SCM: “We have made significant progress with mixed plastics over the past few months.
“We have reopened the plant and taken on a new team. Following various trials, we have found a suitable feedstock, which makes the plant a viable operation.
“In addition, there will be substantial investment in new equipment over the summer and we will be running the plant full time from October.”
