Peel moots £7.5bn plastics park network

Peel Environmental, part of Peel L&P, plans to build up to six plastic recycling facilities across the country, including in the North West, to provide a “complete solution” to the five million tonnes of plastic waste generated in the UK each year.

The company today called on the government and private sector to invest £7.5bn over the next 10 years to support its plans.

The investment would go towards developing the infrastructure required to bring forward the parks, which would be capable of extracting recyclable plastics and converting non-recyclable plastics into usable energy.

Myles Kitcher, managing director of Peel Environmental said that the parks could provide a “one stop shop” for recycling plastic.

Planning permission for the first phase of Peel’s first plastic park at Protos in Ellesmere Port was granted earlier this month with further planning applications for that site expected in the coming months.

The first phase will see a £7m investment to bring forward a plant which is capable of converting plastic into hydrogen.

The plant, which will occupy a 2.5-acre site, could produce up to two tonnes of hydrogen per day from 35 tonnes of plastic, the equivalent of 18,000 HGV miles, according to Peel.

The parks are to be delivered in partnership with Waste2Tricity, an energy provider specialising in converting waste to fuel, and will use technology developed by Powerhouse Energy Group with which it has signed an exclusivity agreement.

Myles Kitcher, managing director at Peel Environmental, said: “Infrastructure for dealing with plastic waste has been piecemeal at best and there’s a huge problem with accountability.

“Kerbside recycling systems are confusing, with many plastic products still ending up in the black bin and sent to landfill.

“The Plastic Parks will offer a simple solution for local councils. We can take any type of plastic, whether it’s been mixed or separated, and we’ll have a one-stop-shop for maximising recycling and creating value from what’s left.”