Lancashire firm fined £142,000 for illegal waste exports to Malaysia. A Lancashire plastics company and its director have been fined a combined £142,114 for illegally exporting contaminated waste to Malaysia. 3R Technology UK Ltd, based in Preston, pleaded guilty to 16 offences at Preston Magistrates’ Court, including shipping waste misrepresented as clean plastic.
The Environment Agency said 16 containers of contaminated plastic, containing electrical components, wiring and circuit boards, were shipped to Malaysia between April 2022 and February 2025. Director Yulin Wang was sentenced to 120 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £15,114 in costs, while the company was fined £80,000 with £47,000 in costs and surcharges.
Packaging firm Pact Group has invested in Plan B Circular, the UK textile-to-textile polyester recycler behind Project Re:claim, its joint venture with the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL). The deal aims to scale polyester recycling ahead of EU legislation expected in 2028.
Sixteen international partners led by Danish Technological Institute have launched InFACT, a project to turn household flexible plastic waste such as crisp packets, coffee bags and meat films into new packaging, including food packaging. Less than 15 per cent of this material is currently recycled.