Pet project A EUR60 million, 90 000 m2 plastic recycling plant in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is set to start operating next year. The plant, built by plastic packaging and recycling company ALPLA, is expected to produce 35 000 tons of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) a year, reports Engineering News. The rPET material will then be converted into sustainable plastic packaging at ALPLA’s facility in Lanseria, Gauteng. Of the 35 000 tons of rPET flakes, about 16 000 tons will be processed into rPET pellets on an extrusion line at the Ballito plant. There is space in development for another extrusion line to increase pellet production. The manufacturer says production will start once the quality of the RPET flakes and pellets is approved, and all processes are qualified. ‘The country’s beverage industry will benefit in two ways,’ says ALPLA recycling MD Dietmar Marin.‘It will receive high-quality material and it will be able to meet the legal requirements.’ 5 November 2024 Image: Unsplash