In cooperation with Fost Plus (Evere, Belgium; www.fostplus.be), Dutch recycler Morssinkhof-Plastics (Lichtenvoorde, the Netherlands; www.morssinkhofplastics.nl) has announced the construction of a recovery plant in Lommel, Belgium. Around EUR 30 mn are to be invested in the production facility, which is to go into operation in October 2024 and is projected to have a recycling capacity of 40,000 t (input). The plant is being built in the Belgian province of Limburg, where the company plans to recycle polypropylene and polyethylene (HDPE) packaging, including milk, shampoo, detergent, and shower gel bottles.

Belgian dual system Fost Plus is responsible for supplying around 24,000 t of input material is to be supplied. From which sources the remaining quantities would be procured has not been disclosed. Recyclable packaging is collected in Belgian households in blue bags, unlike the yellow bags of Germany.

Related: Morssinkhof's joint venture, More PET, with Remondis

Around 65 new jobs are to be created at the plant in Lommel, which is now the fifth production facility operated by Fost Plus in Belgium. The five recycling centres – three of which are already in operation – are expected to recycle around 75% of Belgium’s plastics packaging waste from 2025 onwards.

Morssinkhof-Rymoplast now operates 10 recycling plants in Europe, with the Morssinkhof brand bundling the recycling of dimensionally stable packaging, and Rymoplast standing for the recycling of the flexible fraction. Last year, the Dutch recycler significantly expanded its reclaim capacities in Markranstädt near Leipzig, Germany. At the same location, Morssinkhof also operates a PET recycling plant in which up to 40,000 t/y of regranulate can be produced using the MoPET process. Additionally, cooperation with Danish deposit system operator Dansk Retursystem (Hedehusene; www.danskretursystem.dk) was recently intensified.