Cleaning products manufacturer Ecover and Closed Loop Recycling have launched a new initiative to recycle waste plastics from the seas around the UK.
The material will be recycled at Closed Loop's Dagenham facility and will later on be re-used by Ecover in its new packaging.
As part of the Waste Free Oceans (WFO) initiative, Closed Loop Recycling undertook trials with Ecover for a new type of plastics using recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE).
The initiative aims to reduce floating marine debris on Europe's coastlines, and will also communicate an important anti-litter message to consumers. It also highlights the importance of recycling and the value of used plastics as a resource.
Existing fishing trawls and new technology will be used by WFO which will engage Europe's fishing community in cleaning up floating marine debris and bring it back to land for recycling and sorting.
Closed Loop Recycling chief executive Chris Dow said the new initiative is not simply about cleaning up the oceans of unwanted litter, which is of course important in itself environmentally.
"It's about the industry taking responsibility for plastics litter and educating people to take responsibility for their own waste and recycle as much of it as possible, in the knowledge that recyclers like us can maximise this resource and enable it to re-used in new food and drink packaging, thus reducing our reliance on oil-rich virgin materials," Dow said.
