Veolia’s milk bottle recycling plant creates new jobs in Dagenham

Every plastic milk bottle in the capital is set to be recycled in Dagenham.

This is the ambition of recycling giant Veolia, which will officially launch its Choats Road branch this summer.

Already fully operational, the Veolia site has created 20 jobs since taking over the closed former Euro Closed Loop recycling site in July – and is set to employ up to ten more.

The plastics facility aims to take 200m bottles a year from offices and homes across London and convert them into high quality food grade HDPE pellets, which they then sell on to be made into more milk bottles. The materials are sorted at Rainham’s plastic recovery facility before arriving in Dagenham.

Recycling material from pellets into plastic bottles uses 75 per cent less energy than using virgin materials, equating to powering 20,000 homes – and doubling the UK’s recovery capabilities of high density plastic recycling.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said he was “delighted” that Veolia had taken over the site.“This plant will be able to recycle all of the capital’s empty milk bottles – a mountain of waste that would otherwise have been sent to landfill. This is good news for London and good news for the environment.”

Leroy Thompson, east recycling manager at Veolia UK, says there are roles available from lab technicians to yard operatives. “We’re looking to expand the team at our new Dagenham Plastics Facility on Choats Road, as the plant reaches full capacity,” he said.

“Previously we’ve recruited from within our local community and as business in the community’s responsible business of the year we are particularly keen to hire local people from Barking and Dagenham.”

To find out how to apply, go to veolia.co.uk/careers or email your details to uki.resourcing@veolia.com