Austrian flexible packaging group Coveris (Vienna; www.coveris.com) recently opened a recycling facility in the UK to process printed polyethylene film, which involves removing ink from printed film packaging waste and re-granulating it into recycled polyethylene resin.

Technology used at Coveris’ ReCover plant in Louth, Lincolnshire, will allow printed film waste to be converted into ReGen pellets and used in high-performance non-food packaging including collation shrink films and tissue paper overwrap.

The plant can produce 5,000 t/y of ReGen pellets, with waste material sourced from within the Coveris group, its customers’ production waste, and suitable post-industrial waste films. Coveris said its ReGen pellets would initially be used to fulfil requirements of recycled content within the group and were compliant with the UK Plastic Packaging Tax, as well as supporting UK Plastic Pact targets.

In December 2022, Coveris founded the ReCover reclaim unit containing the site and assets of UK recycler Capital Valley Plastics, which it recently acquired for this purpose, and announced the development of further capacities. The former CVP activities now operate as ReCover Blaenavon.