Plastic packaging and recycling company ALPLA has opened a new 90 000 m² recycling plant, following an investment of €60-million, in Balito, KwaZulu-Natal.

From next year, the company says, the ALPLArecycling division is expected produce up to 35 000 t of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) a year. The high-quality material will then be processed into safe, affordable and sustainable plastic packaging at ALPLA’s production plant in Lanseria, Gauteng.

In a media release, ALPLA expresses that it is setting the course for further growth in South Africa and providing an economic boost to the densely populated province of KwaZulu-Natal and the iLembe district.

“South Africa is a strategically important market for us and one in which we want to continue to grow.

“Together with our customers and partners, our aim is to provide safe, affordable and sustainable packaging solutions to our customers and to continue improving standards of living. With our investments in Ballito and before that in Lanseria, we have laid the foundation for a successful future,” says ALPLA CEO Philipp Lehner.

“ALPLA’s involvement does not only accelerate the industrialisation of iLembe District Municipality, but ensures investing in projects that support UN Sustainable Development Goals, attracting other companies along the value chain and creating several thousand jobs in the collection infrastructure,’ adds investment promotion agency Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal CEO  Sihle Ngcamu.

The Ballito recycling plant will have an initial output capacity of 35 000 t of rPET flakes, of which 16 000 t will be processed into rPET pellets, and an extrusion line has been installed for this purpose.

Once all processes have been qualified and the flakes and pellets have been approved by the customer, ALPLA says it will start production in early 2025.

“Our plant will increase the supply of rPET in the national market. The country’s beverage industry will benefit in two ways: it will receive high-quality material and it will be able to meet the legal requirements,” explains ALPLArecycling MD Dietmar Marin.

Under South Africa’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation, which came into force in 2021, PET drinks bottles have had to contain 10% recycled material since 2022. The legislation requires this to double to 20% by 2026.

“With our expertise and experience in recycling and processing, we are a reliable partner for sustainable solutions. At the same time, we are promoting the circular economy in South Africa and reducing waste through close cooperation with regional collection programmes,” says plant manager Gerhard Meyringer.

The recycling plant is already designed to increase the proportion of pellets and can accommodate a second extrusion line for this purpose.

An additional 30 000 m2 of space is available at the site for further expansion. ALPLA will process the high-quality recycled material into PET preforms for the production of drinks bottles at the Lanseria plant, which opened in 2022.