World's First Microfibre Recycling Facility Opens
- Editor OGN Daily
- Jun 21
- 1 min read
An environmental technology firm has launched a microplastic recycling facility in Cornwall, south west England.
The plant is thought to be the first of its kind and the Cleaner Seas Group (CSG) behind it estimates that it could turn 86 tonnes of microfibres into useable materials for construction and packaging annually.
The CSG centre in Bude takes cartridges which it sells to consumers and industrial laundries to attach to their washing machines. When the cartridge is full of microfibres, plastics which are shed from clothes in the wash, it is sent by freepost back to CSG.
Microfibres are then extracted at the centre from the cartridges and turned into usable materials for construction, packaging, including new domestic cartridges.
Dave Miller, chief executive of CSG, said the "plug and play" battery-powered filter, which costs £130 ($175), could be fitted to a washing machine without the need of a plumber. Each cartridge lasts for about 100 washes and consumers can then buy another cartridge which goes into the filter for about £14 ($19).
“Microplastic pollution is a global crisis hiding in plain sight,” said Dave Miller, chief executive of CSG. “It’s in our oceans, our food, even our bloodstreams. We’re told it’s too complex to fix - we’re proving that’s not true.”
"This facility proves that it's not too late to act, and that we can build commercially viable solutions that protect the planet."
