France Plastiques Recyclage plant

An innovative initiative…

In creating France Plastiques Recyclage (FPR) in 2007, SITA France and the PAPREC Group, leaders on the French recycling market, rely strongly on innovation to meet the challenge of excellence. The goal is to make granules of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) from recycled bottles collected from individuals on behalf of local authorities. With an investment of €40 million, the plant is now equipped with an innovative, environmentally-friendly recycling process to produce recycled PET (r-PET) and manufacture new bottles or other products in contact with food.

In accordance with the technical constraints specified by the national, European and international authorities, the r-PET granules have the same characteristics as virgin PET. Designed for contact with food, they are intended for preformers, ore carriers, and conditioners in the beverage, food, pharmacy, perfumery and cosmetics industries, and any other sector requiring a recycled raw material of high quality.

Thanks to the laboratory integrated on the Limay site, product quality is monitored at each step of the process, ensuring the compliance of r-PET with food contact requirements and customer specifications.

… to reduce the site’s environmental footprint

Saving water and energy

France Plastics Recyclage has opted in particular for a cold pre-wash cycle of the PET bottles in order to minimise power consumption on the site. FPR prefers the on-site treatment of water and the use of wheeled vehicles running on gas or electricity, and also recovers other materials (PVC, stop caps, metal hoops from bales, etc.).

r-PET: a reduced carbon footprint

Using r-PET rather than virgin PET helps reduce the site’s carbon footprint. Recycling reduces energy and water consumption, and reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases.

Making way for alternative transport

Located on the precincts of the Port of Paris Authority in Limay, in the Ile-de-France region, the FPR site offers several advantages:

• It is located near the waste deposits in the Greater Paris area (most of which comes from Intercommunal Household Waste Treatment and Recycling Authority (SYCTOM) for Paris and its suburbs) and the West of France.
• The multimodal platform is connected to the rail and river networks, thereby minimising road transport.
• The facilities at the Port of Paris Authority can load shipping containers from Rouen or the Caribbean.

France Plastiques Recyclage facts and figures

• 40,000 m² including 30,000 m² of road networks and storage areas for input materials
• 30,000 tonnes of recycled PET will be generated from 40,000 tonnes of bottles
• represents a reduction of approximately 1,000 truckloads, thanks to waterway transportation
• FPR is the first recycling company to have obtained a positive opinion of the French Agency for Food Safety for its r-PET product for food contact since the introduction of the new European directives.