Tracking technology firm Polytag has described installation of a plastic-detection unit at a huge material recovery facility (MRF) in Northern Ireland as a “game-changer”.
The kit allows waste firm Re-Gen to count individual items of packaging processed at the Newry plant.
Handling a quarter of a million tonnes of household waste annually, the MRF is the second largest of its type in the UK.
As well as processing 25 per cent of Northern Ireland’s refuse, it takes in materials from the Republic as well as England, Scotland and Wales.
Polytag uses its plastic-detection units at MRFs across the UK for its growing Ecotrace programme.
Brands that apply the tech firm’s invisible watermarks to their packaging are able to gain access to data about the lifecycle of their products. This enables businesses to set internal targets or improve reporting.
Polytag chief executive Alice Rackley said: “Our partnership with Re-Gen marks a significant milestone in optimising recycling processes across the UK, with the Newry facility being a key site in this mission.
“As the second largest MRF in the UK, processing vast quantities of mixed-stream waste, our technology will allow the site to manage packaging and waste on a truly large scale – a game-changer for improving recycling rates and driving us closer to a circular economy.”
