UPM Shotton paper mill have struck a long term deal with waste management company, PHS Special Contracts, part of PHS Wastetech, to reprocess all of its rejected material into valuable products.

The paper mill already recycles 650,000 tonnes of recovered paper per year in its newsprint manufacturing process, combusts deinking residues to make energy and reuses the ash from the combustion process.

The last piece in the jigsaw can now be diverted from landfill. Mixed waste materials from UPM Shotton's pulping process will be cleaned and reprocessed to make recycled plastic products such as railway sleepers, furniture and high quality plastic board. Other materials sent to PHS which cannot be processed on their site, such as tin and aluminium will be sent to other reprocessors.

Mr Andrew Bronnert, Head of Energy & Utilities at UPM Shotton, said: "We are delighted to have found an innovative solution through PHS Allclear for this most difficult of waste materials. We are now really heading towards zero waste from the site"

Mr Patrick Wadey, Head of PHS Special Contracts, said "We are proud to be able to offer this solution to UPM. The reject waste stream is the key to achieving zero waste to landfill for the recovered paper sector and we are privileged to be in a position to offer a sustainable alternative to the industry."

Mr David Ingham, General Manager of UPM Shotton added: "This strategic agreement has enabled us to meet our vision as the frontrunner in creating value from renewable and recyclable materials."

In January 2010 UPM Shotton announced the construction of a Materials Recovery Facility on site to separate mixed recyclable materials from kerbside collections to a recovered paper suitable for newsprint manufacture.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Andrew Bronnert, Head of Energy & Utilities, UPM Shotton, tel. +44 (0) 1244 284 329
Mr Will Stone, Head of Communications UK & Ireland, UPM, tel. +44 (0) 7841 493 447