£6.1 million investment will bring over 20 new recycling jobs to Bolton

The UK’s largest producer of damp-proof membranes has invested £6.1 million in new equipment to extend its manufacturing and recycling business in the North West. 

Toughsheet, which has a history of over 50 years in the region, transforms plastic packaging waste into 100 per cent recycled damp-proof membrane. The new, high-tech equipment will allow it to recycle up to 50,000 tonnes of plastic each year, making sure that UK waste is dealt with responsibly on British shores.

Managing Director Doug Mercer said: “We see stories on the news about UK waste being dumped in the Far East. This investment will help to make sure that UK waste packaging stays in the UK where it can be properly recycled. Our business has grown up in the region, so we have a genuine interest in supporting the community and providing opportunities for local people.”

The equipment is expected to be fully up and running by January 2022, with an extra 26 employees joining the existing staff of 74.

The machines shred waste ethylene-based plastics, such as HDPE and LDPE, before heating them into liquid. They are then filtered, pelletised and moulded to produce Toughsheet’s damp-proof membrane.

Ends

Editors notes

·      Mercers was founded over 50 years ago, and began recycling plastics in the 1980s. Over the last 15 years, the company has undergone rapid expansion.

·      Mercer’s sister company, Toughsheet, is the UK’s largest producer of damp-proof membrane. The membrane is 100 per cent recycled, manufactured from waste plastics.