Belgium Breaks Ground on Advanced Plastics Recycling Facility in Lommel
A major stride in Belgium’s transition to a circular economy was marked this week as construction officially began on a state-of-the-art plastics recycling facility in Lommel. The project is led by the Dutch-based Morssinkhof-Rymoplast Group, which has been part of Ingka Investments’ portfolio since 2017.
According to a statement released by Morssinkhof-Rymoplast, this will be the company’s 13th recycling facility and its third in Belgium. Once operational, the plant is expected to serve around 80% of Belgian households—approximately four million homes—by processing everyday plastic waste such as milk bottles, shampoo containers, and butter tubs into high-quality recycled materials suitable for packaging and personal care products.
The facility is being developed in close partnership with Fost Plus, a Belgian organization responsible for the collection and recycling of household packaging. It will handle materials gathered through Belgium’s national PMD collection system, which covers Plastics, Metals, and Drink cartons. The project is also projected to create 65 new jobs in the region.
Despite the broader challenges facing the recycling industry—ranging from rising operational costs to labor shortages and shifting environmental regulations—the development has been heralded as a critical step forward. According to reports, it underscores a growing commitment among industry players to invest in long-term infrastructure for sustainable waste management.
Earlier this year, Ingka Group—the world’s largest IKEA franchisee—announced a €1 billion investment commitment through its investment arm, Ingka Investments, to support recycling infrastructure and circularity projects across Europe. Morssinkhof-Rymoplast is viewed as a central partner in helping realize this ambitious goal.
“This groundbreaking marks a circularity milestone for households in Belgium,” said Nathalie Van Edom, Sustainability Manager at IKEA Belgium. “At Ingka Group, we already use recycled household plastics produced by Morssinkhof-Rymoplast in products like our HÅLLBAR waste sorting bins, helping give materials a second life. Now, thanks to this collaboration, we’re taking it a step further and our Belgian customers will see the direct impact of their recycling efforts with products made from their own butter tubs returning to their homes”.
According to government data, Belgium has significantly ramped up its domestic recycling capabilities in recent years. While only 9% of household plastic packaging was recycled domestically in 2019, that figure has now climbed to 69%, with projections indicating it could surpass 75% by 2026 thanks to ongoing investments and public-private cooperation.
Evy Morssinkhof, responsible for Organization & Business Development at Morssinkhof-Rymoplast Group, stated: “Despite the challenges facing the recycling industry, we remain fully committed to our mission: transforming plastic waste into high-quality materials that can be used again and again. This new facility is not only an investment in infrastructure but a promise to Belgian households that their efforts to recycle make a difference.”
Source: INGKA Group