Renewi and Freepoint partner to extract plastics from residual waste
Renewi and Freepoint Eco-Systems International have announced plans to build a new waste plastic sorting and treatment plant. The partnership aims to produce feedstock for advanced plastic recycling by extracting plastics from residual waste, with a goal of supplying 80,000 tonnes annually to Freepoint Eco-Systems' first European advanced recycling facility in Ghent, Belgium.
The collaboration involves the development and co-investment in a new sorting facility, which will be essential for producing the required feedstock from residual waste for the advanced recycling plant. The companies say that the new sorting line will implement innovative sorting techniques, including the use of residual heat from the advanced recycling plant. The process will transform different end-of-life plastic sources extracted from residual waste into a consistent and high-quality feedstock for reprocessing.
Jacco de Haas, Freepoint Eco-Systems' Chief Commercial Officer, Recycling Europe, emphasised the importance of cross-industrial collaboration, stating: "The waste streams which now end up in incineration, combined with the expertise of Renewi and the new sorting line, will increase the total plastic recycling rates and will be fully complementary to mechanical recycling."
The advanced recycling facility will use pyrolysis to recycle complex, mixed plastics that are difficult to process through other methods, complementing existing mechanical recycling processes. This process is expected to enable a significant reduction in CO2 emissions, as well as a reduced need for fossil resources to produce new products.
Recent research has shown that Leftover Mixed Waste Sorting (LMWS) can offer substantial benefits both economically and environmentally. A study by Zero Waste Europe and Equanimator Ltd found that LMWS is a rapid and financially viable method for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from incineration. By extracting materials like plastics from residual waste before incineration, LMWS can generate revenue from material sales and reduce the fossil carbon content of residual waste, leading to lower CO2 emissions when incinerated.
The sorting facility will employ innovative techniques, building upon Renewi's experience with its existing residual waste sorting line in Ghent. These technologies include screening machines, air blowers, magnets, infrared (NIR) recognition cameras, and artificial intelligence for process optimization, all aimed at efficiently extracting plastics from the residual waste stream.
The new sorting line is expected to begin development in 2026 and become operational in early 2027, coinciding with the readiness of the advanced recycling line. Mark Thys, Chief Operating Officer of Commercial Waste for Renewi, stated: "This collaboration fits perfectly with our strategy as a waste-to-product company and represents a significant milestone in our commitment to a circular economy and sustainable solutions."
