A Norwegian recycling company has signed a deal with Sunderland City Council to build the UK’s largest waste tyre recycling plant in the Port of Sunderland.

Wastefront’s new plant will convert locally sourced used tyres into useful resources such as pyrolysis black (a chemical used in many products such as plastics, printer ink, paint, cosmetics, and water filtration) and liquid hydrocarbons. The full-scale plant will be able to process 180 tonnes of End-of-Life Tyres (ELT) per day, producing 60 tonnes of pyrolysis black.

Construction should begin in 2021, generating around 100 jobs. Once fully operational, the plant will employ up to 30 full time staff members.