UPM to Build Materials Recovery Facility at Shotton Mill, in U.K.

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UPM, Helsinki, Finland, reports that it will invest GBP 17 million in a materials recovery facility at its UPM Shotton paper mill in North Wales, U.K. The company notes that the investment will further strengthen the mill's integrated operations and create up to 160 jobs when operating at full capacity. Construction will begin immediately and will be completed by January 2011. The Shotton mill, which recycles 640,000 metric tpy, is the largest newsprint mill in the U.K. with a capacity to produce 500,000 metric tpy of 100% recycled newsprint.

The materials recovery facility has been designed to allow UPM Shotton to sort dry recyclables such as plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, and metals. The investment is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government with a GBP 1.7 million Single Investment Fund grant and will have up to150 people working on the construction phase of the facility.

Once fully operational, the facility will sort up to 200,000 metric tpy of recyclable material, of which 120,000 metric tpy will be newspapers and magazines, providing 20% of the recovered paper used as raw material in the mill's paper production. Surplus recyclable material will be recycled by other re-processors as required.