New UK made machine that melts waste plastics

Cling film and other hard to degrade plastics could soon be recycled thanks to a machine made in the Britain.

It can transform plastic film into oil  – the raw material for all plastics – and also works on plastic pouches and crisp packets.

The machine – the RT7000 works by a technique called pyrolysis, which heats waste in an oxygen free environment.  This breaks up the plastic’s molecular structure into small pieces, which creates a wax that can be used for new products. The machine is made by Swindon-based Recycling Technologies, which has sold it to a local authority in Scotland and hopes to sell more in the UK.

It is running a trials with ten Tesco stores in the South West, where shoppers can bring in films, bags and wrappers, for recycling.