Viridor unveils plans to close Avonmouth recycling plant

Oxfordshire-based waste management group Viridor revealed that following a review it planned to close its recycling plant at Avonmouth, near Bristol, amid low recycling rates.

Thes site reportedly recycles 80,000 tonnes of plastic each year and was opened in March, 2022.

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In a statement, Virdor said that its UK mechanical recycling operations had been "negatively impacted by persistently and increasingly challenging market conditions, and the absence of planned legislation to increase rates of plastic recycling in the UK".

"Despite sustained investment from Viridor over the last four years to develop its mechanical recycling capability, including building and commissioning the Avonmouth polymers recycling facility and expanding production, recycling rates are below where they were projected to be in 2020," it added.

The company added that policies announced and planned under the previous Government to increase UK recycling, as set out in the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy, had been "repeatedly delayed and have not, to date, been implemented".

In addition, the firm noted that the global virgin polymer market was suffering from overcapacity due to significant growth in production in lower-cost markets outside Europe, leading to significantly reduced demand and prices for recycled plastics.

At the same time, imported recycled plastics from low-cost countries has increasingly flowed into Europe, displacing domestic supply, it said.

Viridor noted that the proposed closure of Avonmouth would be subject to the normal consultation process, and that it was "currently exploring redeployment opportunities within the wider Viridor business for those colleagues impacted by this decision".

The company added that it was continuing to invest in plastic recycling through its Quantafuel subsidiary which came through an around £100m acquisition in 2023.