Morssinkhof-Rymoplast builds recycling plant in Flanders
A new contract is in the bag for Morssinkhof-Rymoplast. The Dutch family company, long active in the plastic recycling domain, was chosen by Fost Plus to process post-consumer hard plastics. To that end, the Morssinkhof family is investing EUR 30 million in a new recycling plant in Flanders, representing an annual processing capacity of 40,000 tons.
A three-step plan to better recycling
Fost Plus is a non-profit organization responsible for the selective collection, sorting and recycling of household packaging waste in Belgium. The NGO has an ambitious plan to recycle three-quarters of the plastics collected via ”blue bags” in Belgium domestically by 2025, instead of sending the waste streams abroad.
First, plastic collection via these blue bags was expanded. Second, five sorting centers and five recycling plants were constructed. The new plant in Lommel is the key element of this three-stage master plan that will create more than 500 jobs in total.
The new plant is the final step in the creation of a local circular economy that makes Belgium a recycling hub in the heart of Europe.
There’s no such thing as waste
Founded in the 1960s and now regarded as one of Europe's largest producers of high-grade recycled raw materials, Morssinkhof-Rymoplast is no small fry. The company supplies more than 300,000 tons of recycled products annually and has 10 sites in the Netherlands, Germany, Poland and Belgium. In 2017, Swedish furniture giant IKEA even acquired a 15% minority stake in the recycling company as part of its sustainability commitment.
In Lommel, the Morssinkhof family has been recycling industrial foils for decades. And starting in 2024 in Neufchâteau, it will recycle used PET bottles and dishes, also good for an investment of EUR 30 million
Tons of jobs in sights
The new site at the Kristalpark in Lommel will have the capacity to process 40,000 tons of hard plastics into granules used to make new packaging. Fost Plus will supply 24,000 tons of the hard plastics. Think of yoghurt cups, butter tubs, shampoo and milk bottles. The new factory is expected to open in the fall of 2024, creating 65 jobs.
Reported by
De Tijd newspaper
