New plastics recycling plant to serve 80% of Belgian households

Belgium is launching a significant new recycling initiative with a plastics processing plant set to handle waste from about 80% of households nationwide. A joint venture between Fost Plus and Morssinkhof Plastics will establish the facility in Lommel, Limburg, scheduled to begin operations in October 2024.

This €30 million investment spans 4.1 hectares at Kristalpark III, a logistics hub well connected by road, rail, and waterways. It is expected to process roughly 40,000 tonnes of plastic packaging annually – 24,000 tonnes of which will come from household “blue bag” collections.

Fost Plus’s managing director, Wim Geens, remarks that the plant marks the culmination of a local circular economy effort, positioning Belgium as a leading recycling hub in Europe . The facility will convert polypropylene and polyethylene packaging – such as tubs, trays, bottles, and flasks – into high-quality recycled granules suitable for new packaging production.

Around 65 jobs will be created, further bolstering Belgium’s recycling infrastructure. With this fifth recycling centre, Fost Plus anticipates that by 2025 over 75% of the country’s plastic packaging waste will be recycled domestically.

Belgium already ranks among the most effective EU recyclers, recovering nearly 90% of household packaging and recycling approximately 49% of plastic packaging waste, placing second during 2021.

This expansion supports Belgium’s commitment to keeping recycling local, reducing imports of plastic feedstocks, and fully closing the loop in its own packaging sector.

Visit Empack 2026 to explore supply chain innovations from across the world to reduce plastic waste and increase recyclability.