Brand-new recycling plant in Lommel to give butter tubs and shampoo bottles from PMD bags a second life

On Friday 30 October, plastics recycler Morssinkhof-Rymoplast officially opened its new recycling plant in Lommel. With an investment of €30 million and, in time, 65 jobs, the site gives Belgium extra capacity to recycle plastic packaging from the PMD bag domestically. Butter tubs, ready-meal trays, and bottles for shampoo or detergent are processed there into recycled plastic that can be reused in new products and packaging. For Fost Plus, which organises the recycling chain for plastic packaging from the PMD bag, Lommel is the capstone of an ambitious plan to open no fewer than six new recycling plants on Belgian soil in six years. The next challenge is now to make demand for the recycled material grow quickly enough.

Located in Lommel’s Kristalpark III industrial estate, the state-of-the-art facility spans 4.1 hectares and is designed to process up to 40,000 tonnes of plastic packaging each year, including 24,000 tonnes collected through Belgium’s PMD bags.

Back on the shop shelves

The new facility processes polypropylene (PP) packaging, including butter tubs, yoghurt pots and ready-meal trays, alongside high-density polyethylene (HDPE) items such as milk, shampoo and laundry detergent bottles and containers. What distinguishes the Lommel facility is its additional sorting process, whereby pre-sorted PP and HDPE packaging is further separated by polymer type and colour. The plastic is then shredded and washed.

This process produces high-purity plastic streams, sorted by colour, that can be reused to manufacture new products and packaging, including applications with material-contact requirements, such as for personal care and household products. The objective is to maximise the reuse of plastic collected through PMD bags by converting it into new packaging that ultimately makes its way back onto shop shelves.

Eric Morssinkhof, CEO of Morssinkhof-Rymoplast: "After the MOPET recycling plant in Neufchâteau, Lommel is the second new facility we have built in Belgium under Morssinkhof-Rymoplast to recycle plastic packaging collected through PMD bags. Our output of high-purity recycled plastics, separated by colour, makes Lommel a unique facility in Belgium for recycling this type of packaging. As a family-owned business, we have specialised in plastics recycling for three generations. We remain committed to the environmental and economic value of local recycling, which is why we continue to invest in capacity that will be essential for the long term.”

More recycling within Belgium

Since 2020, Fost Plus has awarded several contracts to expand Belgium’s domestic recycling capacity. The organisation guarantees recycling facilities a steady supply of pre-sorted plastic packaging collected through PMD bags for nine years, ensuring consistent quality and volumes. With the opening of Morssinkhof Plastics, all six new recycling facilities are now operational: FILAO in Charleroi, Fromto in Beringen, Ecoo in Houthalen-Helchteren, Plastics2Chemicals in Antwerp, MOPET in Neufchâteau and now Morssinkhof Plastics in Lommel.

Thanks to these new facilities, the share of recycled plastic processed in Belgium has risen from just 12% in 2021 to more than half (51%) today. This represents nearly a sixfold increase in four years, with the volume of plastic processed domestically rising from 13,463 tonnes in 2021 to 74,236 tonnes in 2025. Plastic that is not recycled in Belgium is sent mainly to specialised facilities in neighbouring countries.

Domestic recycling capacity is becoming increasingly important in light of the EU's new Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which will introduce higher minimum recycled plastic content requirements from 2030 onwards. Meeting these requirements will require sufficient recycling capacity to be in place.

Steven Boussemaere, Chief Innovation Officer at Fost Plus: “Five years ago, we made a deliberate decision to award long-term contracts to support investment in local recycling capacity. Today, we are seeing the results of that decision: With Morssinkhof Plastics in Lommel, all six new plants are now operational, enabling us to recycle an increasingly larger share of the plastic packaging that citizens sort into PMD bags in Belgium. This is particularly important as, from 2030 onwards, EU rules will require new packaging to contain recycled plastic, with minimum recycled content requirements of up to 35% for these material streams. We must build the necessary recycling capacity now to ensure we can meet these targets."

The capacity is there; now demand must follow

Expanding local recycling capacity does not necessarily mean that the new facilities are already running at full capacity. Achieving this will also require increased demand for recycled plastics. Demand now needs to increase further.

Morssinkhof’s Lommel plant has an annual processing capacity of up to 40,000 tonnes of plastic packaging, including 24,000 tonnes supplied by Fost Plus and collected through PMD bags. The site therefore has the capacity to process additional volumes of plastic packaging and supply recycled materials for a broader range of applications. However, limited demand for recycled plastics means that increasing production is not yet economically viable. The main bottleneck is not the recycling of plastic collected through PMD bags, but securing sufficient demand for the recycled material produced.

This is one of the key challenges that must be addressed, looking ahead to 2030. Europe will need substantial volumes of recycled plastic by 2030, but the market must be able to bridge the gap in the meantime. Morssinkhof is calling for stronger incentives to promote the use of recycled plastics and thus stimulate market demand.

Matthijs Veerman, Chief Commercial Officer at Morssinkhof-Rymoplast: “We are investing today in the recycling capacity Europe will need in the years ahead. Recycling plastic is only part of the equation; we also need a strong market for the recycled material we produce. Demand is still lagging behind. To fully utilise our capacity and expand it further, demand for recycled plastics must grow in step. That is why we need stronger incentives to encourage the use of recycled plastics now, alongside measures to ensure a level playing field with imported virgin plastics made from fossil-based raw materials and imported recycled plastics.”

^{About Morssinkhof-Rymoplast}

^{Morssinkhof-Rymoplast is a European plastics recycling group that grew out of a family business. Spread across 13 specialised processing sites in Europe, the group recycles plastic waste from consumers and industry into high-quality recycled raw materials. Our customers range from local plastics processors to international producers.}

^{The core activities focus on the recycling of HDPE, LDPE, PET and PP. By combining industrial expertise, scale and strong partnerships, Morssinkhof-Rymoplast contributes to the transition towards a more circular plastics industry.}

^{About Fost Plus ​}

^{Fost Plus is the organisation responsible for managing the recycling and reuse of packaging waste in Belgium. Since 1994, it has worked with citizens, businesses, public authorities and experts to ensure that the household packaging of its approximately 5,000 members is collected and recycled. In doing so, it helps its members meet their Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations. Today, Fost Plus is also fully committed to preventing packaging waste and to promoting reuse through reduced packaging, smarter design and reusable solutions. Through these initiatives, the organisation helps advance the circular economy and create a cleaner living environment.}