In May 2019, Svensk Plaståtervinning (SPÅ) opened the doors to what was then Northern Europe’s most modern sorting facility for plastic packaging. Just over four years later, in November 2023, it was time for the next inauguration at Electrolux’s old industrial site in Motala. This time for Site Zero, which with its 60,000 square meters is the world’s largest facility with a capacity to receive 200,000 tons of plastic packaging a year.
– We are not quite there yet, says Mattias Philipsson. More needs to be collected and the common man must get better at source sorting for us to reach our maximum volume.
But it is not primarily Site Zero’s size and capacity that makes the facility unique, but its advanced technology. Nowhere else can you sort out as many factions as here, namely 12. That is three times more than before and up to 95 percent of the plastic that comes to Motala can be sorted out for further recycling. In addition to increasing the availability of recycled material, it also means that packaging that was previously incinerated can now be sorted out and recycled. This, in turn, leads to both reduced climate impact and, in some cases, reduced costs.
– Changing the type of packaging is often associated with investments, which you may avoid now, but at the same time it is important that the packaging that is put on the market is fully recyclable, says Mattias Philipsson.
Study visits are frequent in Motala
Not least, there are many producers who want to see with their own eyes what Site Zero is really capable of and how they should relate to it in terms of their own packaging.
– We are still in a learning process that requires constant dialogue and not least openness and mutual trust between us and our producer customers. That is why we have chosen to be transparent in all parts and offer full traceability. As a customer with NPA and thus a customer with us, you know exactly what percentage of your packaging has been recycled, where it has gone and how it is taken care of, says Mattias Philipsson.
SPÅ shares all the climate data, so that you as an individual producer will have the opportunity to calculate the CO2-footprint of your packaging throughout the value chain.
– In this way, it is possible to see exactly what it means to change to a more recyclable packaging. It is already appreciated today, but will become even more important with the stricter legislation for sustainability reporting that comes into effect next year, says Mattias Philipsson.
It is not only on the reporting side that legislation is being tightened, a new joint EU legislation for packaging and recycling is on the way with the aim of reducing packaging waste and ensuring that all packaging on the European market is reusable or recyclable.
– Already in 2025, 50 percent of all plastic packaging material must be recycled, an ambitious goal where Site Zero, at least theoretically, has greatly improved the conditions, but much more is required, not least in terms of collection volumes, says Mattias.
Despite the short time the facility has been in operation, Site Zero has attracted a great deal of international interest. The news about what can now be achieved in Motala in the form of sorting plastic packaging, has spread to 50 countries and is estimated to have reached a billion people.
– These are breathtaking figures, but we must remember that this is a very young market. It will not be long before there will be several similar facilities worldwide, which is a must. We at SPÅ cannot solve the entire plastic issue, we can possibly, thanks to Site Zero, take the role of role model and the good example, says Mattias Philipsson.
Zero emissions in sight
Site Zero is already powered by renewable energy today, and the small proportion of plastic and other waste that cannot be recycled will in the future
sent to energy extraction without climate emissions, so-called Carbon Capture Storage, CCS. There are also plans to install solar cells
the facility’s roof.
Facts about Site Zero
- Owned and operated by Swedish Plastic Recycling, SPÅ.
60,000 square meters total area.
Can receive 200,000 tons of plastic packaging per year.
Can sort out PP, HDPE, LDPE, PET trays, PET bottles (colored and transparent), PP film, EPS, PS, PVC, two grades of Polyolefin mix, metal and non-plastic rejects.
Fully automated process, 60 Near Infra Red (NIR) sensors, approx. 5 km conveyor belt, washing and granulation in phase 2.
Total investment approx. 1 billion kroner, where, among other things, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Klimatklivet is a co-financier.
Text: Anna Lindvall
The article is part of NPA Magasin