Yes Recycling expands with launch of recycled plastic Ecosheet plywood alternative

Yes Recycling expands with launch of recycled plastic Ecosheet plywood alternative

Yes Recycling, today announces exciting plans for a state-of-the-art recycling facility in Glenrothes, Fife. As an experienced recycler, Yes Recycling specialise in hard-to-recycle plastics, including banknotes, Hard hats, printed packaging film, and post-industrial and construction waste streams.

The multiple million-pound investment enabled Yes Recycling to create state-of-the-art patented recycling technology to recycle 15,000 tonnes per annum of low-grade post-consumer plastic. The plastic will then be processed into pellets and flake, with residual waste utilised to develop a new generation of high-strength Ecosheet, an alternative to plywood.

Omer Kutluoglu, Co-Founder and Director of Yes Recycling, said: “Unlike other products, Ecosheet is created using mixed polymers, utilising what other manufacturers throw away!”

Ecosheet is an authentic circular economic product

Yes Recycling collaborated on the Ecosheet project with Scottish Businesses, authorities, and investment parties, including:

• Scottish Development International (SDI)
• Scottish Enterprise
• Zero Waste Scotland
• InvestFife
• Business Gateway Fife
• Ecosurety
• Dunfermline-based Cireco.

Zero Waste Scotland has supported our project with an investment of  £520,000 from the Circular Economy Investment Fund, administered by Zero Waste Scotland with funding from the European Regional Development Fund and the Scottish Government. Andrew Dickson, Business Investment manager at Zero Waste Scotland, said: “Yes Recycling’s new facility in Glenrothes is an excellent illustration of the supply chain collaborating and how the Circular Economy Investment Fund works.

“The fund exists to support innovative projects and businesses and in this case helps Yes Recycling to manufacture reusable products that maximise the value from goods we already have in circulation while at the same time generating economic growth and creating jobs.”

Robin Baird, Chief Operating Officer for Cireco (Scotland), said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by Yes recycling to deliver this innovative new project. Yes and Cireco has shared values in ensuring that previously hard to recycle plastics can now become valuable resources and help support Scotland’s circular economy delivery. This continues Cireco goals of ensuring that Fife continues to be seen as open to innovation in the delivery and expansion of the green economy.”

Will Ghali, CEO of Ecosurety, said: “Ecosurety are delighted to be partnering with Yes Recycling to facilitate this new project to build new recycling capacity in the UK. This is a much needed new capacity that will allow the Recycling of flexible plastics, which have not been widely recycled until now. We are very excited to be able to support this new venture to get flexible plastics recycled here in the UK.” 

Omer Kutluoglu, Co-Founder and Director of Yes Recycling, surmised: “The new factory will create up to 60 jobs; recruitment commenced in August 2021; this has made an opportunity for a wide range of roles, including office management and facility floor.

As a business, opportunities are limitless for the recycling industry in Scotland, investment in change is evident across Scotland, and for us, Fife is the ideal location for our first plant of this kind and the production of Ecosheet.”

Ecosheet has evolved since the prototype over ten years ago.

Since the launch of the original version Yes Recycling has created new and innovative ways of improving the product, with the support and investment from Triodos Bank and established businesses.

Yes Recycling’s innovation in processing Flexi plastics and Ecosheet has evolved.

David Hawes, senior relationship manager at Triodos Bank UK, said: “As a bank that focuses on lending for positive environmental change, we’ve long been aware of the problems around low-grade and hard-to-recycle plastic waste streams and have looked for opportunities to finance companies working in this area. It is great to lend to Yes Recycling, which we believe are truly making headway in addressing these issues and converting problematic waste into a useful product that has environmental benefits of its own. We believe this new facility is an important step forward for businesses and consumers alike.”

“Flexi plastics will always be a controversial material; as a business we are focused on educating others on the positives of this resource,” continues Omer Kutluoglu, Co-Founder and Director of Yes Recycling.

“Using Ecosheet and following the guidelines for use will reduce environmental impact for the industry, enabling those in construction to dramatically improve their recycling rates due to Ecosheet having complete recyclable end-of-life properties. “

Changing collection procedures to enable kerbside collection of Flexi plastics and the development of new sorting processes will allow local authorities to create a new funding stream and a solution to flexible plastics; Yes Recycling is also creating opportunities for other factories and new ways of tackling the ever-changing plastic tax, by creating a way to include recyclable content and improve recycling rates.