UK – European packaging company Coveris has opened a new ‘ReCover’ recycling facility in Lincolnshire, the second in its portfolio.

The facility is dedicated to closing the loop and keeping plastic circular and is said to use ‘ground-breaking’ technology to recycle printed polyethylene (PE) films.

Christian Kolarik, CEO of Coveris said: “When we started to develop ReCover, our ambition was to close the loop and introduce a new business model, establishing ourselves as a recycler with a clear leadership in technological knowledge.

“With ReCover Louth we opened the second facility, which represents the next achievement milestone in our agenda.”

Supporting Coveris’ No Waste vision and wider packaging sustainability frameworks in the United Kingdom and European Union, ReCover Louth creates a new lifecycle for printed PE packaging films from post-industrial waste (PIW) sources.

The dedicated ReCover facility within Coveris Louth’s PE extrusion and conversion site uses an innovative de-inking recycling process where ink is removed from printed film packaging waste, which is then regranulated into high-quality recycled PE resin, ReGen.

The development and introduction of ReCover Louth’s de-inking recycling capabilities allow printed film waste to be redirected into ReGen pellet production and upcycled into high-performance non-food packaging including collation shrink films and tissue paper overwrap.

With the capacity to produce 5,000 tonnes of ReGen pellets annually, ReCover Louth uses printed waste feedstock from within the Coveris Group, its customers’ production waste and suitable post-industrial waste films from the industry.

ReGen pellet will initially be used to fulfill requirements of recycled content within the Coveris Group and is compliant with the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, in addition to supporting UK Plastic Pact targets.

The new recycling facility, Recover Louth, is the second addition to Coveris’ closed-loop recycling business segment. Coveris announced the launch of ReCover in December 2022, alongside the acquisition of a post-consumer waste mechanical recycling facility, now operating as ReCover Blaenavon.

Martin Davis, Coveris’ Business Unit Films President added: “Sustainability is at the heart of our business and the development and opening of ReCover Louth, our second recycling facility, is a significant step in our No Waste journey.

“Not only are we innovating and building more recycling infrastructure for the plastic packaging sector, but we are also developing longer and more circular lifecycles for our products.”

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