New plastic recycling facility raises questions over long-term support
Businessman Fernand Huts aims to build large plastic recycling plants in Antwerp and signalled ambitions to construct much larger facilities in the future, but insists this will only be possible with government cooperation. He announced this on Thursday at the official opening of a new Plastics2Chemicals recycling installation plant in Antwerp.
Waste processor Indaver, owned by Huts and his logistics group Katoen Natie since 2015, has spent eight years developing its first plastic recycling facility in Antwerp. The site, which Hus claims is a “world first,” converts used food packaging, such as yoghurt pots, into pure raw materials for new packaging. From 100 discarded pots, about 55 new ones can be produced.
© BELGA VIDEO MAARTEN WEYNANTS
The project represents an investment of 105 million euros. At the opening event, attended by Flemish environment minister Jo Brouns (CD&V), Huts explained, “We might be able to recoup that investment, but then we have to scale up and build very large factories.” The Antwerp facility will initially handle 26,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year, with potential expansion to 65,000 tonnes, creating around 100 jobs and processing waste from Belgium and France. But Huts is aiming far higher, with plants capable of 250,000 tonnes. “A key issue is where we locate them. I’m glad minister Jo is here to hear about that.”
©BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
Permitting, overseen by Brouns, is where Huts sees the biggest obstacle. “We’ll only locate our factory somewhere if we have legal certainty and get a permit that won’t be revoked after a few years.” He added that while he would prefer Antwerp, he remains hesitant: “We’re facing a lot of obstacles. It would be a shame if we couldn’t realise this world wonder in Antwerp due to permit and tax reasons.”
Paul De Bruycker, Indaver’s chairman, echoed the concerns. “We received 10 million euros in subsidies for this project. We really shouldn’t have received them. We could have saved that much if the process had been easy. Administrative simplification and legal certainty are at least as important.”
Brouns struck a conciliatory tone, joking that he would not take back the 10 million euros. He acknowledged having heard the “clear signal” from the business community. “I want to keep the chemical cluster in Flanders and issue permits for it,” he said. He added that work was underway on a new permitting framework with stricter oversight, calling the Antwerp plant “of strategic importance.”
#FlandersNewsService | The opening of the 'Plastics2Chemicals' chemical recycling installation of Indaver, where raw materials are extracted from end-of-life plastics, Thursday 25 September 2025 in Antwerp.
© BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
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