Biffa Polymers (www.biffa.co.uk), part of national waste management services provider Biffa, has announced a £7 million investment in a new recycling line at its Redcar plant in Cleveland.

The second recycled high-density polyethylene (rHDPE) line should enable Biffa to double its output of food-grade rHDPE (used to make milk bottles and food trays) from 9,000 tonnes per year to 18,000.

The new line — officially opened by Biffa CEO Ian Wakelin in March — is expected to create 20 new jobs for the region, as well as provide extra capacity for plastics recycling at a time when the company says that the wider plastics recycling industry is experiencing instability.

Mr Wakelin said: “The creation of a new rHDPE line at our Redcar plant will put capacity back into the market to meet the growing demand that we are seeing.

“This is particularly important, given recent events in the plastics recycling industry. Enabling us to double our output, this investment in our facilities and the additional infrastructure it provides will also mean that more discarded plastic from UK households can be processed here in the UK, rather than being sent abroad for processing.

“We are open to exploring possible growth strategies that will enable us to enhance our offering and increase our processing capacity further in future.”

Established 25 years ago, Biffa Polymers was — according to Biffa Group — the first company in the UK to achieve food-grade status for its rHDPE. To date, its polymers facility has reprocessed over three billion plastic bottles.