Cheshire jobs boost as grant funding for £58m waste plastics recycling facility given green light
Set to inject £4.5m a year into the region’s economy.
Cheshire leaders have boosted the region’s green ambitions by approving vital grant funding towards the delivery of a new state-of-the-art waste plastics recycling facility in Ellesmere Port - set to create 80 full time jobs and inject £4.5m a year into the region’s economy.
Supported by Enterprise Cheshire + Warrington and working with businesses, Cheshire West and Chester Council, Cheshire East Council and Warrington Borough Council continue to collaborate on a shared vision to be the healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and growing economy in the UK.
On Friday, its Joint Committee approved a £1m grant application from specialist polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling company Enviroo, backed by infrastructure asset manager Reichmuth Infrastructure, to deliver a £58m facility at Peel NRE’s £165m on Protos Plastic Park at Ince Marshes near Ellesmere Port.
Enviroo’s 81,107 square foot facility will take PET – the main material used for food and beverage packaging, such as plastic bottles – and turn it into polymers that can be used to make new food packaging products.
The approval was given after a report before board members revealed the facility is set to create 80 full time jobs as well as 19 additional indirect jobs within the supply chain and an estimated 83 jobs during the construction phase.
The report said that Enviroo’s facility is set to process up to 35,000 tonnes of plastic a year, creating £4.5m GVA per annum for the region’s economy as well as attracting private sector investment totalling over £57m.
Crucially, the facility also enhances the region’s collective Net Zero ambitions with the report noting it was “in response to an increased global demand for food grade recycled plastic” and EU and UK government legislation for food and beverage manufacturers to meet recycling targets.
The grant funding green light came just days after Cheshire was selected by the government as a “key growth region” for clean energy and amid a North West Net Zero Industrial Cluster plan, which centres around a £30bn pipeline of clean energy projects to unlock investment and remove over 40 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere every year, as well as creating and safeguarding thousands of jobs.
Friday’s grant award is subject to final contracts being completed and came after Cushman & Wakefield provided a robust independent appraisal of Enviroo’s Business Case supported by financial due diligence undertaken by SG Financial.
Cllr Nick Mannion, Leader of Cheshire East Council and Place Lead on the Joint Committee said: “I am delighted the Joint Committee was able to approve this grant for a facility that will not only bring a welcome jobs boost but further our collective Net Zero ambitions and desire for the region to be the healthiest, most sustainable, inclusive and growing economy in the UK.”
Cllr Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “I look forward to seeing this project develop and bring huge environmental and economic benefits in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire West and the region as a whole.”
Ahmed Detta, Chief Executive Officer at Enviroo said: “‘We are delighted with the grant funding approval enabling Enviroo to develop and operate its state-of-the-art plastics recycling facility at the Protos Park. We look forward to being a significant contributor to helping the region achieve its Net Zero Targets.”
And Richard Barker, Development Director, Peel NRE said: “We are excited to welcome Enviroo to Protos, marking the first step towards realising our ‘Plastic Parks’ vision.
“The Plastic Park was conceived to revolutionise the way plastic waste is handled, creating a more sustainable and circular approach to recycling. With an estimated £7.5bn needed in infrastructure investment over the next decade, this partnership is a significant milestone in addressing the UK’s plastic waste challenge.
“Enviroo’s announcement comes at a pivotal moment, following the approval of regulations for the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers, set to launch on 1 October 2027.”