The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) has welcomed the news that extra newsprint reprocessing capacity is to be built in the UK.


The Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP) announced the move last Friday (20 July) and said it hoped the plant would be operational by 2003.


The CPI had previously objected to WRAPs plans to increase the use of recycled paper by 50%, saying obstacles blocking investment in recycling should be tackled (PrintWeek, 15 June).


CPI director general Peter Scott said this week that he welcomed the involvement of the government through WRAP.


"Any attempts being made to increase paper recovery should be made on a logical basis and this has closed the loop in that respect, and showed that there is some logic at work."


The new plant aims to use 300,000 tonnes of waste paper per year in order to help the UK meet commitments under the EC Landfill Directive to divert municipal waste from landfill sites.


WRAP chief executive Jennie Price said: "This is an unusual recycling project in that demand for the product is already firmly established its just a question of reprocessing capacity."


Interested parties can now enter into a competitive process for a grant.


Price added that over the coming months a series of invitations to tender would appear, including one for a "foundation" piece of research into the fibre requirements of the paper industry to establish how much more recycled material could be used.


Story by Fay Schopen