Norway opens new national facility for plastic packaging sorting
Områ – Norway’s new national facility for sorting all types of plastic packaging waste – was officially opened on November 5 at Holtskogen, marking a new chapter for circular plastics in Europe.
The opening ceremony brings together over 300 guests, including municipal representatives, recyclers, brand owners, NGOs, and policy experts.
Jointly owned by TOMRA (65%) and Plastretur (35%), the new facility, located at Holtskogen, will serve as a reliable offtake solution for municipalities and waste management companies considering the introduction of automated mixed waste sorting (MWS), a crucial step for increasing recycling rates without depending solely on household source separation.
The state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to process 90,000 tons of plastic per year, transforming plastic packaging waste into uniform polymer fractions ready for recycling.
“This facility has the capacity to receive and transform all of Norway’s household plastic packaging waste into recyclable fractions, essentially closing the loop for plastics,” said Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA.
By 2030 the EU requires minimum 55% of plastic packaging waste to be recycled under the forthcoming PPWR. Today, approximately one-third of Norway’s plastic packaging waste is recycled while the rest is mostly incinerated.
“Områ gives municipalities and the entire value chain a clear signal: there is now a scalable, high-quality route for plastic packaging. It provides the infrastructure needed to meet EU recycling targets and supports our shared ambition to build a truly circular plastics economy,” said Karl Johan Ingvaldsen, CEO of Plastretur.
