Global recycling leader plans major facility in Ghent’s port area

The US-based company Freepoint Eco-Systems, a global leader in recycling, is going to build a major plant in the Ghent port area. It should recycle 80,000 tonnes of waste plastic annually, which would make it one of the largest plastic recycling facilities globally. The company signed a long-term concession agreement with the Belgian-Dutch North Sea Port.

The new facility will be constructed at the Kluizendok site in Ghent, on the left bank of the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal, within the North Sea Port area. The cross-border North Sea Port is the result of a merger between the port of Ghent and the Dutch ports of Terneuzen and Vlissingen.

The long-term concession agreement concerns 10 hectares of currently undeveloped land. The new facility on the site should have the capacity to recycle about 80,000 tonnes of waste plastic annually. The site could be expanded in the future, with an additional plot that would allow an anticipated total of about 160,000 tonnes of waste plastic to be recycled per year.

Freepoint Eco-Systems plans to start construction as soon as the permit procedure is completed, probably in 2025. It’s not yet clear how much the company is investing or how many jobs it will create.

The state-of-the-art facility will recycle end-of-life waste plastic, which is still too often incinerated, thus giving the material a second life. The company plans several sites in Europe, but the one in Ghent is the first one that has been announced. ​ ​ ​ ​

“Flanders strives towards a greener future, in which industry and climate are in harmony,” stated Flemish minister-president Jan Jambon. “The collaboration between Freepoint Eco-Systems and North Sea Port is therefore a huge leap forward in achieving this goal.’

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