UK recycling: QMRE undertakes plastic waste-to-oil production; Eurokey to open UK’s largest recycling facility

UK-based QM Recycled Energy (QMRE) says it has successfully produced oil from plastic waste at a commercially viable scale for the first time.

The company has previously demonstrated the process at test scale, but this latest step confirms that its technology can operate using production-scale systems, moving it closer to commercial deployment. The achievement builds on steady progress over recent years as the company has advanced its technology and positioned itself for wider industry engagement.

The oil was produced at QMRE’s headquarters and facility in Hoo, Rochester, where two VIXLA processing systems are operating alongside a Q20 pre-treatment unit.

Plastic waste is first cleaned and size-reduced before being converted back into its core hydrocarbon form – oil – which can then be further refined into new plastic products.

This transition from test output to sustained production marks a key step in demonstrating that plastic waste-to-oil conversion can move beyond concept into practical application.

CEO Tim StClair-Pearce said the company is now entering a critical phase of development: “With our technology partner Eagle Technology of Norway, we are now operating 24/7 in a 1,000-hour continuous run to fully prove the concept.”

The focus is now on improving system efficiency and environmental performance, with the current systems around 50% energy self-sufficient and a target to move closer to full self-sufficiency. Additional technologies are also being explored to further reduce emissions, it adds.

Meanwhile, another UK firm Eurokey by Reconomy is investing £20 million to build a 138,000 sq foot bespoke closed-loop plastic recycling facility in Corby, Northamptonshire, helping supermarkets recycle plastic material into new products. 

It is scheduled to be fully operational in the second half of 2026 and, once at full capacity, will handle 38,000 tonnes of plastic material annually, the company adds.

The facility will be one of the UK’s largest dedicated plastic recycling plants focused on helping supermarkets, retailers and grocers recycle plastic material in a fully closed-loop system. The facility will receive several grades of plastic material that have been sorted at Eurokey’s facility in nearby Kettering and recycle it into plastic pellets ready for manufacture into plastic packaging for supermarkets to use again.

Eurokey works with the UK’s largest supermarkets and retailers, and this investment will enable them to recycle plastic material domestically. At present, the UK remains heavily reliant on exporting plastic material due to the lack of domestic infrastructure capable of recycling this material at scale. 

This UK-based, closed loop solution will be an important enabler of the circular economy and will support the sustainability goals of Reconomy’s large supermarket clients. 

One of the main advantages of this new site is its proximity to Eurokey’s sorting facility in Kettering– less than ten miles away – which will help reduce export dependency, lower transportation costs and associated carbon emissions, and cut reliance on virgin plastics.

Commenting, Zubair Bajwa, Operations Director at Reconomy brand Eurokey, said: “We are very proud to play a leading role in strengthening the UK’s plastic recycling industry at this critical time. For over 30 years, our business has helped leading UK supermarkets and retailers maximise the recycling potential of their plastic material, and this new site will allow us to go even further in delivering circular solutions for our customers.”

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