Extrupet increases capacity with 2nd Starlinger PET recycling line

The Starlinger recoSTAR PET recycling line at Extrupet's plant

Extrupet Group (Pty) Ltd, South Africa's first and largest recycling operation for post-consumer PET bottles, has ordered a second Starlinger PET recycling line to meet the country's growing demand for rPET.

Extrupet's PhoenixPET® plant, located in Wadeville just east of Johannesburg, converts more than 2.5 million PET bottles per day into high-quality flakes and pellets. Recycling activities at Extrupet developed around the turn of the millennium out of the necessity to put a stop to the landfilling of PET bottles. Having established a network of collectors, the company set up a state-of-the-art recycling plant and in 2014 added a Starlinger recoSTAR PET recycling line that satisfies the strict food safety requirements of many local and multinational brands.

Over the past years, the demand for recycled material has been steadily growing, to a point where Extrupet started investigating the purchase of a second recycling machine. With the new Starlinger line, a recoSTAR PET 165 HC iV+ that will be delivered early next year, Extrupet will significantly increase the recycling capacity of its South African factory. 

Ravi Chanrai (Extrupet) in front of PET bales

The new line will achieve a throughput of approx. 1,900 kg/h - slightly more than the first recycling line - and will be equipped with a larger solid-state polycondensation unit to further increase the cleaning efficiency and set a new benchmark in terms of rPET pellet quality.

Extrupet's group director, Mr. Ravi Chanrai, states that in addition to the upcoming expansion in South Africa, the group also plans to increase the capacity of its Nigerian recycling operations. The market in West Africa is highly dynamic and shows a strong demand for products made from recycled PET, such as PET bottles and textiles made of polyester fibers.

About Starlinger recycling technology

Starlinger recycling technology is a division of Austrian-based Starlinger & Co. GmbH, world market leader in the field of machinery and complete lines for woven plastic packaging production. For more than 30 years Starlinger recycling technology has been providing machinery solutions for the recycling and refining of a wide scope of plastics such as PE, PP, PA, PS, BOPP and PET. Starlinger PET recycling systems produce food-safe rPET and are approved for use in food applications by many brand owners as well as various national and international authorities.