Saudi steel recycler sets sights on plastics

In the next five to ten years the Gulf region will witness a major and broad recycling capacity boost, not only for aluminium, copper but also e-scrap, rubber and plastics.

A new and promising plastics recycling project is underway in Saudi-Arabia, launched by the Al-Qaryan Group, one of the biggest steel recyclers in the country. ‘Like elsewhere, plastics recycling is becoming more and more important, and we want to do our share,’ company ceo Hamood Qaryan-Al Qahtani told Recycling International on the sidelines of the BIR world recycling convention in Dubai. ‘Being a big recycler in the region, we see it as our responsibility to contribute. Also, the future for plastics recycling looks bright from a business perspective.’

EUR 30 million investment

Al-Qaryan Group is investing EUR 30 million in sorting technology at two facilities, one in Riyadh, another in Dammam, a major industrial hub on the Persian Gulf. ‘We are eager to get in contact with suppliers of smart solutions to come on board and help us.’

There will be additional investment in collection infrastructure. Materials will be sourced from major Saudi cities, including Riyadh, Dammam, Jeddah and Mecca/Medina, representing a total population of 16 million.