Norway's New National Plastic Packaging Waste Sorting Facility Områ Officially Opens

Norway is currently celebrating the official opening of Områ, a new national-level plastic packaging waste sorting facility, marking an important step forward for the country in the field of plastic recycling. Previously, for certain plastic waste, there were almost no better options besides incineration, but the emergence of Områ has changed this situation.

The facility is jointly owned by TOMRA (65% stake) and Plastretur (35% stake). It has a strong processing capacity, capable of handling up to 90,000 tons of plastic annually, and can convert plastic packaging waste into uniform polymer components for subsequent recycling.

Områ adopts advanced sensor technology to accurately sort mixed plastic waste into ten separate single components, specifically including:

• Polyethylene (PE)
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)
• Polystyrene (PS)
• And other various plastic components.

With this advanced technology, Områ has become one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in the world, marking a new chapter in plastic recycling.

Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA, stated: "Områ is not just a simple facility; it is a missing key link in the European circular economy. This facility has the capacity to receive and transform all recyclable portions of household plastic packaging waste in Norway, effectively creating a closed-loop system for plastics. It serves as the cornerstone of infrastructure, providing a reliable recycling channel for mixed waste sorting facilities, and helps recover more resources from source-separated materials."

The facility is located on the outskirts of Oslo and its establishment will provide municipal authorities and waste management companies with a reliable automated mixed waste sorting (MWS) recycling solution. This system helps improve recycling rates, reduces the over-reliance on separate sorting by households, and makes the recycling process more efficient and convenient.

Karl Johan Ingvaldsen, CEO of Plastretur, stated: "Områ has sent a clear signal to municipal authorities and the entire industry chain: plastic packaging now has a scalable and high-quality recycling pathway. It provides the necessary infrastructure support to achieve the EU's recycling targets and helps us collectively move towards a truly circular plastic economy."

With the official operation of Områ, Norway will play a greater exemplary role in the field of plastic recycling, contributing positively to the development of the global circular economy.