Non-recyclable waste to power recycling in Avonmouth

The site in Avonmouth is expected to reprocess up to 60,000 tonnes of plastic a year

Electricity created from non-recyclable waste at an "energy recovery facility" will power a new £65m plastic recycling plant being built nearby, it has been announced.

The Viridor site, in Avonmouth near Bristol, is expected to reprocess up to 60,000 tonnes of plastic a year.

Viridor's parent company Pennon said it would create a "centre of excellence for UK recycling" in the west country.

Both sites are expected to open by 2021.

Pennon's chief executive officer Chris Loughlin said: "By using waste which cannot be recycled as the fuel to create low-carbon electricity which will power plastics recycling we are creating a truly...energy-efficient waste management solution."

The firm said the recycling plant would put 60,000 tonnes of recycled plastic from bottles, pots, tubs and trays in flake and pellet form "back in the economy every year as a viable and sustainable solution to virgin plastic".

The site will be powered by diverting 320,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and generating 32MW of electricity - the equivalent energy used to power about 44,000 homes.