Every bottle used at Dale Farm includes recycled plastic

Nampak Plastics new in-plant at Dale Farm’s Pennybridge dairy in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, is now using up to 10% recycled plastic (rHDPE) in every milk bottle it produces.

Replacing virgin material with recycled content helps to divert recyclable material from landfill and is a significant contributor to both companies’ commitment to reducing their carbon impacts.

The achievement builds on the environmental benefits already made by locating the bottle manufacturing operation alongside the dairy filling operation at the Pennybridge site. This dramatically cuts down on transportation, overall vehicle movements and reduces carbon emissions.

The in-plant, where bottles are taken straight ‘through the wall’ from the bottle manufacturing process to the filling line, was fully operational in September this year and now produces more than 2.5 million milk bottles every week.

Commenting on Nampak’s new bottle blowing operation Dale Farm Group Chief Executive, David Dobbin, said: “This new in plant facility is generating significant benefits for Dale Farm and our customers and consumers in reducing our carbon footprint and increasing the use of recycled material in our packaging”.

Bill Andrew, Nampak's Sales Manager in Ireland comments: “Just four years ago bottle-to-bottle recycling was unheard of and Nampak demonstrated leadership in the adoption of recycled plastic (rHDPE), being the first company to set itself a target of including up to 10% recycled plastic in every milk bottle it produces by 2010. Both

Nampak and Dale Farm are renowned for their environmental credentials and we are delighted to have extended this initiative to Ireland at the Dale Farm operation.”

The in-plant is the result of a £3 million investment from Nampak Plastics along with significant investment by Dale Farm to develop the dairy. Invest NI, Northern Ireland’s Economic Development Agency, provided financial assistance of £254,000towards the project and to develop additional export sales across Ireland, with part funding also coming from the European Regional Development Fund.

The Dale Farm in-plant is Nampak’s sixth such facility, with other bottle in-plants located in Glasgow, Oakthorpe, Severnside, Manchester and Chadwell Heath, all providing customers with bottles containing up to 10% recycled content.