The Port of Sutherland will soon become home to what is claimed to be ‘UK’s greenest’ tyre recycling plant.

The project will be developed by the Scandinavian recycling startup Wastefront and will use a technology which converts end-of-life tyres into products such as liquid hydrocarbons and carbon black – these can be used to create alternative fuels or ground rubber manufacturing.

The construction of the plant is expected to begin in early 2021 and will generate around 100 jobs in the region.

Matthew Hunt, Director of Port of Sunderland said: “Port of Sunderland is currently undergoing a major transformation, with over £8 million being pumped into improving its roads and infrastructure and the decision by Wastefront to invest here shows just how much confidence this is breeding among our stakeholders and the wider market.”

Co-founder and Director of Wastefront, Christian A. Hvamstad, commented: “Wastefront’s first plant in Sunderland will represent a valuable contribution to a cleaner future by dealing with a specific waste problem, where end-of-life tyres no longer end up in landfills in overseas countries but instead are converted into useful commodities that can be used within the region.”