Biffa : secures multi-million-pound recycled plastic deal

Plastic recycling pioneer Biffa has signed a multi-million-pound a year partnership with one of the UK's leading bottle manufacturers.

Esterform Packaging, the UK's largest independent producer of plastic bottles for carbonated drinks and alcohol to squash and cooking oil, will use 6,000 tons of recycled plastic at its factories in Leeds and Worcestershire every year.

The recycled PET plastic used by Esterform is processed at Biffa's Seaham facility in County Durham, one of the most advanced plastic recycling facilities in the world, capable of recycling more than two billion bottles a year.

Chris Hanlon, Biffa's commercial director - polymers, said: "We're delighted to be working alongside Esterform who share our passion for creating a 'circular economy', a system where materials are recycled for as long as possible."

"We look forward to a long and successful partnership as we continue to work with them to grow the recycled content of their PET bottles."

From this year, packaging producers in the UK will be required to use at least 30 per cent recycled plastic in their products to avoid the new plastic packaging tax.

Mark Tyne, managing director of Esterform, said: "Biffa's recycled plastic is a great product, so we're delighted to have secured this deal with them.

"PET is a very robust, flexible material that we use to produce containers that are light, resealable, safe and strong, and which can be recycled many times to make more new bottles in the future."

The deal with Esterform was signed after the plastic recycled at Biffa's state-of-the-art plant in Seaham was given food-grade status by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

It also builds on Biffa's existing capabilities in plastics recycling, including its plant in Redcar, Teesside, where HDPE plastic milk bottles are recycled back into food-grade HDPE, with 85 per cent of milk bottles sold in the UK now containing Biffa recycled plastics.

And at Biffa's recycling plant in Washington, Sunderland, 70 tons of plastic are recycled every day, including polypropylene margarine tubs, detergent bottles and microwave food trays which are processed into flakes to be turned into anything from new garden furniture to drainpipes. The plant also recycles HDPE bottles.

All three sites capitalise on the access to plastic from households and businesses that Biffa has through its collections and sorting activities.

To find out more about plastics and recycling Plastic Recycling | Biffa

ENDS

Duncan Gibbons

T: 07706 362065

[e-mail]

Notes to Editors

About Biffa

We've been leading the UK's waste management industry for over 100 years and have a strong track record of growing our profits and returns to shareholders, whilst reinvesting to grow our business.

Biffa is a leading enabler of the UK circular economy and our team of more than 10,000 colleagues carry out essential operations every day including surplus redistribution, recycling, treatment, energy generation, collection, and disposal.

Our purpose is 'to change the way people think about waste' and sustainability has been at the heart of our business strategy for many years. Our areas of focus essentially reflect the waste hierarchy - to Reduce, Recycle, Recover and Collect.

We have already made huge strides in our sustainability journey by investing in surplus redistribution, plastic recycling, energy from waste infrastructure and low carbon collections, leading to a 70% reduction in our carbon emissions since 2002. Our sustainability strategy, 'Resourceful, Responsible', will see us unlock £1.25bn of investment in vital green economy infrastructure by 20301, of which £1bn has already been unlocked, while further reducing our carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. We aim to have net zero emissions by no later than 2050.

We understand that we must lead by example and are committed to further improving health, safety, and wellbeing in our sector. We are proud to have been awarded a 5-star grading by the British Safety Council. We have also made strong progress in making sure Biffa is an inclusive place to work where diversity is championed and our 10,000 strong workforce feel valued and understand the positive contribution, they make to enabling the UK circular economy.

Our long-standing Biffa Award programme supports sustainable projects across the UK which deliver environmental benefits while making a valuable contribution to local communities. Our partnership with WasteAid helps countries in the developing world with managing their waste more sustainably.

Biffa is a Great British Company, listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BIFF) and a member of the FTSE 250. That's just a bit about us. To find out more, visit:www.biffa.co.uk/investors