The new plant in Esbjerg, ReSource Denmark, is designed for the mechanical treatment of a total of 160,000 tonnes of LWP per year. The material will not only come from Denmark, but also from other parts of Scandinavia. The plastic waste is processed with the aim to be mechanically and chemically recycled. For this purpose, the input material is separated into eleven different fractions. In addition to the separation of plastics – such as LDP, HDPE, PP- and PE-films – composite materials and both magnetic and non-magnetic metals are also separated. As expected, the purity is between 90% and 94%, depending on the fraction.
The initial commissioning with material took place in January of this year; installation began in May 2023. Within six months, Eggersmann installed around 140 tonnes of steel and approximately 1.6 km of conveyor belts. In addition to Eggersmann Anlagenbau as the general contractor, BRT HARTNER was also involved in the project as the expert for stationary recycling machines within the Eggersmann Group.
The separated fractions will then be used for mechanical or chemical recycling. “ReSource will be a cornerstone of the circular economy,” says Lars Hedegaard Kristensen, Plant Director and CEO of ReSource Denmark Aps, summarising the significance of the plant. “Our facility will have the capacity to handle all the plastic waste in Denmark, contributing to Denmark’s ambitious plastic recycling goals.” The government plans to recycle 80% of plastic waste by 2030. According to ReSource Denmark Aps, 85% of Denmark’s light packaging waste is currently still burned or exported. The company therefore expects the new plant to save around 520,000 tonnes of CO2e emissions in the period between 2024 and 2028 alone.
ReSource Denmark Aps was founded by the Norwegian waste disposal service provider Quantafuel and the financial investor Eurazeo. Both companies each hold 50% of the shares in the company.