Britain's First PET Tray Loop Promises Cleaner Recycling

£70M Shropshire plant will turn PET trays into food-grade packaging, boosting recycling and cutting import reliance.

26 Jul 2025

Britain has long shipped much of its plastic packaging abroad. Soon it may recycle more of it at home. A £70m facility planned in Shropshire will be the country's first to turn used PET trays and bottles directly back into food-grade packaging. The move marks a shift from the current practice of downcycling, incinerating or exporting waste, and could reduce reliance on imported recycled plastic.

The plant, due to handle 80,000 tonnes of PET each year, will rely on advanced sorting and cleaning systems to meet strict food-safety rules. It comes at a time when regulation is pushing the industry to adapt. Since 2022 the Plastic Packaging Tax has obliged manufacturers to use at least 30% recycled content. A new "Simpler Recycling" scheme will soon standardise kerbside collections, making it easier to capture materials for reprocessing.

Much of Britain's PET tray waste currently ends up in low-value uses or on ships bound for continental recyclers. A domestic loop, its backers argue, will give retailers and packaging firms a steadier supply of high-quality recycled plastic while cutting emissions by as much as 70% compared with making virgin material. "This is about creating a resilient, homegrown recycling system," said the firm's UK managing director.

The timing is not incidental. French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit lent the project a diplomatic backdrop, underscoring the political interest in recycling supply chains. Demand for recycled PET is rising across Europe, where tighter rules. have constrained supply.

If the plant succeeds, it may serve as a template for other materials. For a country still struggling with landfill and export dependence, proving that the plastic loop can be closed at home would be no small feat.