A new upgraded recycling facility for Amcor in UK

Amcor has completed significant upgrades to its recycling facility in Heanor, UK – which plays a vital role in converting post-consumer and industrial flexible plastic waste into high-quality recycled polymers, used in Amcor’s flexible packaging applications across multiple markets. Recent investments — including the modernisation of its wash plant and upgrades to quality and safety systems — have improved the consistency and quality of recycled output, enabling an additional 2,800 tonnes of recyclate to be used in high-performance flexible packaging applications.

“Recycling flexible plastics at scale is essential for achieving circularity and ensuring supply chain resilience,” said Gerald Rebitzer, Vice President Sustainability Operations & Advocacy at Amcor. “These investments demonstrate our commitment to enabling high-performance packaging solutions with RecyClass certified recycled content.”

Both Heanor and its other recycling centre at Steinfeld facility in Germany operate fully integrated recycling systems — including sorting, grinding, washing, separation and reprocessing — to convert flexible plastic waste into circular packaging materials for non-contact sensitive applications, collation shrink films for beverage multi-packs and shrink films for tray-wrapped goods such as canned goods and other FMCG products, as well as pallet stretch wrap films.

Each site maintains rigorous in-house testing to ensure quality, consistency and traceability — helping customers meet the requirements of the UK Plastic Packaging Tax (PPT) and upcoming EU PPWR mandates. The facilities also include onsite water treatment systems that allow water to be treated and recirculated, reducing environmental impact. Both sites are certified Zero Waste to Landfill by Valpak, with RecyClass certification underscoring Amcor’s commitment to transparency and industry-recognised standards.

The completion of the upgrades to Amcor’s recycling facility in Heanor, Derbyshire, were commemorated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by local MP Linsey Farnsworth. The event celebrated a key milestone in the company’s investment in UK recycling infrastructure and commitment to circular packaging solutions.