LyondellBasell (LYB, Houston, Texas, USA; www.lyondellbasell.com) and Genox Recycling (Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; www.genoxtech.com) have started up a joint venture for mechanical recycling of plastics waste in Zhaoqing, in China’s southern province of Guangdong, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in autumn 2022.

The secondary polymer output of the JV, which will trade as Guangdong Genox LyondellBasell New Material, is planned to be an integral part of LYB’s CirculenRecover product portfolio. The plant has a capacity of 9,000 t/y and produces polyethylene and polypropylene recyclates, primarily from household waste.

The Dutch-headquartered, US-steered olefins and polyolefins giant said the foundation of the new Chinese enterprise demonstrates its progress on recycling investments and in particular underscores its commitment to support a circular economy for plastics, while expanding its related offerings in the People’s Republic.

Limin Fu, vice president of LyondellBasell China’s JV management arm and Polyolefins, is to serve as chairman of the new JV, which he said combines the strengths of both shareholders.

Related: PreZero and Danish recycling company Solum cooperate

For LYB, a central goal is to partner with Genox through an off-take business that it said will focus on developing innovative products to meet customers’ needs, as well as growing its capability along the entire plastics recycling value chain. Among the JV’s tasks will be helping to develop the local plastics recycling infrastructure in China.

Toward this goal, Yvonne van der Laan, executive vice president of LYB’s Circular and Low Carbon Solutions unit, said the collaboration with Genox will enable local recycling solutions for customers and brand owners in China. Here the aim is to establish an off-take business with the recycling specialist.

In late February, LYB announced that it had acquired mechanical recycling assets and properties containing rigid plastics recycling processing lines from globally active German waste disposal service provider PreZero (Porta Westfalica; www.prezero.com).

The transaction included a lease of the US processing facility in Jurupa Valley, California, which has annual capacity to turn out 50 mn lbs (around 23,000 t) of recycled material.