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Alpla is expanding its recycling plant in Radomsko, Poland, with an investment of around €8 million in the third extrusion line at the site. The packaging specialist said that the Radomsko site’s annual production capacity will increase from 30,000 to 54,000 tonnes of food-grade PET recycling material (rPET), making the plant one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Dietmar Marin, managing director of Alpla’s recycling division commented: “Alpla stands for sustainable packaging solutions made of plastic. As a system provider, we develop products optimised for recycling, process high proportions of recyclate in production and take care of efficient recycling.” Marin added that the company makes a significant contribution to the regional bottle-to-bottle cycle with its global focus on recycling and commitment in Central and Eastern Europe. By 2025, all PET beverage bottles in the EU should contain at least 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) material. With the expansion of the Poland site, Alpla aims to create the basis for meeting the EU requirements in the regional markets. The installation of the third extrusion line in Radomsko will create 12 additional jobs and expand the team to more than 100 employees. Plant manager Marcin Jabłoński said: “PRT Radomsko has stood for top quality and excellent operational performance for over ten years. The expansion of the site is a confirmation of our highly motivated team and strengthens our position in the market.” Alpla invests around €50 million annually in the global expansion of its recycling activities, including the recent start of production at joint venture recycling plants ENVICCO (Thailand) and PET Recycling Team Targu Mures (Romania). The company announced a new recycling plant in Ballito, South Africa last month. The total annual production capacity of all recycling companies and collaborations is around 226,000 tonnes for rPET and 74,000 tonnes for rHDPE.