Visqueen makes £multi-million investment into new recycling capabilities

The ability of the construction industry to employ greener products is set to receive a welcome boost thanks to leading manufacturer of building films, Visqueen Building Products. The business has just commissioned a brand new, state-of-the-art, waste wash plant at its Rhymney factory in South Wales, which will enable it to strengthen its already impressive range of 100% recycled polythene products.

Estimated to have cost in the region of £4.5 million, the new plant will be used to recycle waste such as used agricultural films into products like Visqueen EcoTPS, Visqueen EcoMembrane® and the Plaswood range of recycled plastic furniture. It was officially opened on 9th March at a ceremony attended by representatives from the Environment Agency and DEFRA as well as dignitaries such as Jasper Roberts, Head of Waste, Resources and Efficiencies in the Government of Wales.

The new plant will enable Visqueen Building Products, part of British Polythene Industries (BPI) plc, to recycle an additional 25,000 tonnes of waste material each year. This waste will be used to create a variety of new second-life products.

In addition to being one of the largest facilities of its kind in Europe, the new wash plant will also be one of the greenest. To maximise its efficiency and reduce its impact on the environment, it employs features such as low energy, high output motors, energy saving lighting and rainwater harvesting to replace the water lost each day.

The upgraded Rhymney plant will not only enhance Visqueen Building Products’ network of strategically located recycling facilities across the UK, but will also help the business to increase the number of closed loop initiatives it offers. Under these schemes, Visqueen Building Products is working with major construction companies with a view to helping them to dispose of their polythene waste, such as aggregate, cement and other sacks, before recycling it and supply that waste back as new products like 100% recycled damp proof membranes and site protection products.

Commenting on the investment, Gerry McGarry, Business Director at Visqueen Building Products said: “At Visqueen Building Products, we’re committed to facilitating more efficient, more sustainable means of UK-based recycling as well as to providing closed loop solutions wherever possible. The new plant at Rhymney will help to increase our already extensive recycling capabilities, bringing major benefits not only to our business, but also to UK recycling and to the environment as a whole.”