By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
A recycling plant which can also reuse contaminated plastic waste could be built in Worksop.
The site on Shireoaks Road has fallen into disrepair after a fire broke out in the previous recycling site in 2014.
Enzygo Ltd, who has submitted the plans, says there is an urgent need for recycling plants to meet demand.
The plans have recently been published on Nottinghamshire County Council’s planning website for public comments.
It would be built on an area off the A57, next to the existing household waste and recycling facility.
The rebuilt site would include a material recovery facility, handling up to 75,000 tonnes of waste per year.
A plastic chemical recycling facility would be able to extract the hydrocarbons which make up plastic, enabling them to be used again.
It would take contaminated or complex plastic which have been rejected as impossible to recycle by other facilities.
The application says this will divert plastic from landfills, get them back into the economy and ease pressure on other recycling facilities.
Rubbish which isn’t suitable for recycling would be sent to an on-site energy recovery facility.
Nottinghamshire needs the capacity to dispose of an extra 50,000 tonnes of waste by 2038, according to estimates by Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council.
“Huge amounts of plastic products become waste, often thrown out after just one use,” it says.
“Plastic waste has become a major environmental issue worldwide, with the United Kingdom playing a substantial role in this problem.
“It is estimated that UK households throw away a staggering 100 billion pieces of plastic packaging a year, averaging 66 items per household per week.”
The fire in February 2014 took nine days to extinguish, with ten engines fighting it at the peak.
There are still mounds of leftover waste on the site, which has since been sold to a new operator who is working with Nottinghamshire County Council to clean them up.
The waste will be put directly into the on-site energy recovery facility if the application is approved.
The plans have been submitted to Nottinghamshire County Council and will be determined at a later date.
