More than 80 jobs created at new recycling facility in Shrewsbury

More than 80 new jobs have been announced at a ground-breaking plastics recycling facility in Shropshire.

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The roles will be based at the new £70 million complex at Battlefield in Shrewsbury, unveiled by Veolia, the waste management, water and energy services company.

The new site – due to begin operating this spring – will initially create 80 new positions but will generate 130 jobs in total, adding to an existing 500-strong local workforce.

The move has been welcomed by Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley who recently visited the new facility and met with managers and staff.

“This is really great news for Shrewsbury,” she said. “It’s always good to hear about new job opportunities, and this is a really exciting project with this new facility set to transform 80,000 tonnes of plastic into new packaging every year.

“So that’s new jobs in Shrewsbury – and an innovative facility that’s all about sustainable production and economic growth.”

The new job roles for which the firm is now actively recruiting will include shift supervisors, team leaders, recycling operatives, and mobile plant operatives. And the company has said it is keen to employ people across the age ranges including the over-50s.

The innovative Plastics Recycling Facility (PRF) will process approximately 80,000 tonnes of mixed plastics annually, collected from households across the UK.

Veolia said cutting-edge technology will be used to shred, wash, and flake the plastic from items like plastic trays and bottles, before they are turned into food-grade packaging.

Jeff Sears, Regional Director, Treatment West at Veolia, said: “The creation of this facility at Shrewsbury will not only improve the efficiency of recycling plastics, but will also create opportunities for people to find meaningful work in the green sector.

“Truly driven by our purpose of ecological transformation, working for Veolia can give you the chance to gain skills and knowledge whilst making a real difference. We look forward to expanding our operations in Shropshire and welcoming more people to our workforce.”

Meanwhile, at an event titled ‘Working Longer, Working Greener’ at Westminster on Monday, the Shrewsbury MP hosted Veolia and the International Longevity Centre UK, a specialist think tank on the impact of longevity on society.

Discussions included the labour market and the over-50s, supporting employees as they grow, and the increasing demand for green skills.

Mrs Buckley added: “This was a most thought-provoking and productive set of discussions – with Veolia being among those companies keen to employ more people in the over-50s age range. These are topics we will no doubt revisit again and again in the coming months, and I’m thrilled with Veolia’s operations in Shrewsbury.”