Plans have been unveiled to establish the UK's first large-scale recycling facility for plastic film.

Source: AOL

Endolys Ltd has committed to investing up to £120 million in the region following its acquisition of the former Cleveland Bridge site in Darlington.

The chemical recycling company announced that it will generate up to 120 jobs through the installation of pyrolysis oil production units at the Yarm Road facility.

Endolys confirmed that £60 million has already been secured for the initial phase of development, which will involve six units processing 60,000 tonnes of shredded plastic film waste into 40,000 tonnes of pyrolysis oil annually.

In the second phase, which will require a similar investment, an additional 60,000 tonnes of film waste will be converted into another 40,000 tonnes of oil, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

All waste will be sourced from municipal waste facilities.

Pending planning and environmental approvals, operations for phase one are anticipated to commence by the end of 2026.

'At the Forefront of Innovation'

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen expressed hopes that the plant "will breathe new life into the iconic former Cleveland Bridge site."

Pyrolysis is a thermal decomposition process capable of chemically breaking down plastic into its fundamental oil and gas components.

Endolys highlighted that plastic film is one of the most difficult plastic materials to recycle in the UK, with no current large-scale recycling facilities available and limited kerbside collection options.