Major PET recycling factory opens in central Romania
The association made up of Alpla Group (Austria), Ecohelp SRL (Romania), and United Polymer Trading (Switzerland) recently inaugurated one of the most modern recycled PET flake processing factories in the European Union in Târgu Mureș, Romania.
The factory processes PET flakes into food-grade PET granules, a highly sought-after raw material highlighted by the European Union’s “rPET 2025” goal. The first extrusion line has already been put into operation, and the food-grade rPET granules obtained through this process serve as raw material for new preforms and bottles.
The factory, named PET Recycling Team Târgu Mureș, was built following a EUR 7.5 mln investment and will deliver 18,000 tons of recycled plastic per year for carbonated soft drinks, dairy products, mineral water, beer, and oil bottlers in Romania and the region.
"For over a decade, my team and I have been developing a continuous research project in the field of PET recycling. Thus, in 2020, we completed the project of the first technological line that currently produces PET flakes, the quality of which has been appreciated to be among the best in the European Union. It was a project started from scratch," said Mihai Moloiu, CEO of PET Recycling Team and one of the three associates of the new factory, in the press release.
The PRT Târgu Mureș joint venture was established in the fall of 2021 and combines the skill sets of the three companies involved: Alpla - which has global expertise as a recycling specialist and packaging producer, United Polymer Trading (UPT) - which has an extensive distribution network of plastic and recycled materials, and local company Ecohelp SRL - which provides recycled PET flakes collected from household waste.
"Both Romania and the macro-region needed such a producer, as it is natural to process at home what you collect and recycle at home. It is no coincidence that our location is right in the center of Romania, at equal distances from all our existing and potential customers," said Mihai Moloiu.
Present at the inauguration, state counselor and coordinator of the department of sustainable development within the General Secretariat of the Romanian Government Lazlo Borbely said that “such an investment is extremely useful, especially since Romania is lagging behind in municipal waste recycling, with only 11.3%, compared to the EU average of over 40%.”
The vice-president of the National Environmental Protection Agency, Adrian Bidu, also in attendance at the inauguration of the PET Recycling Team Târgu Mureș factory, stated that he wishes for as many PET recycling factories in Romania as possible.
(Photo source: PET Recycling Team)
