Biofabrik and Enespa AG have announced plans to build the ‘world’s largest’ factory for plastic recycling in Germany.

The factory will use Biofabrik’s modular ‘WASTX Plastic’ process, which transforms plastic waste into synthetic crude oil. The companies claim this process can turn problematic waste into a valuable raw material.

The first ‘WASTX Plastic’ unit will begin operation this spring, with the site being gradually scaled-up over the next few years to eventually reach a capacity of several hundred tonnes per day.

Cyrill Hugi, CEO at Enespa AG, commented: “Everyone knows about the plastic crisis. It’s a general issue of all human beings. The thing is, when you have it out of your sight, you forget about it and just don’t care anymore and this is the biggest problem. But it’s still out there. We have to learn how to handle the plastic waste correctly.

“If you burn one kilogram of plastic, in the end, you have three kilograms of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is not visible, you cannot see it as it goes out from your burning process but the effect on the whole planet is enormous.”