New Recycling Facility Opens Near Oslo
Norway has officially opened a new, state-of-the-art plastics recycling plant named Områ, marking a significant step forward in the nation's efforts towards a circular economy. The facility, located at Holtskogen Business Park, Tomter, just outside Oslo, commenced operations on November 5, 2025. This joint venture between recycling technology leader TOMRA and the Norwegian producer responsibility organization Plastretur, represents a substantial investment of approximately €50 million (NOK 600 million).
The Områ plant boasts an impressive capacity to process 90,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste annually. This capacity is designed to handle all of Norway's household plastic packaging waste, transforming it into recyclable fractions.
Advanced Sorting Technology at its Core
At the heart of the Områ facility's operations is TOMRA's advanced sensor-based sorting technology. This sophisticated system enables the plant to separate mixed plastic packaging waste into ten distinct polymer fractions, or monofractions. These include common plastics such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polystyrene (PS), among others. The facility utilizes 33 near-infrared (NIR) sorters from TOMRA to achieve high purity in the sorted materials, which is crucial for their subsequent mechanical and chemical recycling.
The construction of the plant took two years, with commissioning beginning in April and completing in the summer of 2025. The official opening ceremony was attended by over 300 guests, including municipal representatives, recyclers, brand owners, NGOs, and policy experts.
Boosting Norway's Circular Economy Goals
The Områ facility is poised to play a critical role in helping Norway meet its recycling targets and contribute to a more circular economy. Currently, only about one-third of Norway's plastic packaging waste is recycled, with the majority of the remainder being incinerated for energy recovery. With its full operational capacity, Områ is expected to process approximately 80% of Norway's plastic packaging waste by 2030.
Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA, emphasized the plant's significance, stating, 'This facility has the capacity to receive and transform all of Norway's household plastic packaging waste into recyclable fractions, essentially closing the loop for plastics.' She further described Områ as 'a missing link in Europe's circular economy,' highlighting its role as a cornerstone piece of infrastructure. Karl Johan Ingvaldsen, CEO of Plastretur, added that Områ 'gives municipalities and the entire value chain a clear signal: there is now a scalable, high-quality route for plastic packaging,' and that it 'provides the infrastructure needed to meet EU recycling targets and supports our shared ambition to build a truly circular plastics economy.'
The plant's ability to sort mixed waste into high-quality fractions is vital for achieving the European Union's forthcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) target, which mandates a minimum 55% recycling rate for plastic packaging waste by 2030.
5 Comments
Bermudez
It's impressive that Norway is investing in such advanced sorting, and this will definitely help meet targets. However, the cost is substantial, and I wonder about the energy consumption and long-term sustainability of such a high-tech plant.
Comandante
Fantastic news for the environment! This is exactly the kind of investment we need.
Mariposa
Finally, real action and infrastructure to close the loop on plastics. Excellent!
Bermudez
Sounds like greenwashing. They're still producing plastic, just processing it more efficiently.
Raphael
It's excellent to see dedicated infrastructure like Områ being built to tackle plastic waste effectively. However, the focus on recycling might inadvertently reduce the urgency to innovate truly biodegradable alternatives or significantly cut down on single-use plastics.