A BRADFORD-based packaging company has helped a major paint manufacturer become the first in the UK to use containers made entirely from recycled plastic.

Emballator Packaging, based in City Link Industrial Estate, Phoenix Way, Tyersal, has created the new containers for industry giants Crown Paints.

The plastic 2.5 litre and five litre containers will soon be available across Crown’s retail range, and have been made using 100 per cent post-consumer waste plastic, and Emballator has worked closely with Crown Paints to perfect the new packaging for its products.

The innovative process involves separating polypropylene plastics, such as shampoo bottles, yoghurt pots, plastic bottles and even elements from household appliances from unusable plastic waste, saving thousands of tonnes of PCW plastic from ending up in landfill.

Once sorted, the PCW plastic is turned into individual pellets which are then dyed and moulded to create the paint containers.

The containers will also soon be rolled out across the entire Crown range, including its ten-litre tubs and Crown Trade products, and are also fully recyclable once empty and clean.

The sustainability of the new containers makes the new containers the “ideal choice” for environmentally conscious people, said Crown.

Julie Entwistle, packaging buyer at Crown Paints, said: “We’ve invested a great deal in creating this innovative new packaging and have worked closely with the Emballator team to create a product which is made entirely from recycled plastic.

“This marks a significant improvement to the plastic paint containers manufactured from 25 per cent recycled plastic which are currently available in the UK.”

Liz Hickson, marketing director at Crown Paints, added: “We recognise that plastic waste is of huge concern to all our customers whether in the trade or retail market.

“We’re proud to be able to play our part in reducing the volume of reusable post-consumer waste plastic ending up in landfill unnecessarily.

“Once the new packaging rolls out to our full range, it has the potential to save many thousands of tonnes of plastic each year from otherwise going to waste and we’re pleased to be able to offer our customers a more sustainable choice at the same time.”

Gerard Dibb, managing director at Emballator, said: “We are proud to support Crown Paints in bringing this innovative 100 per cent recycled container to market at a time when the public’s concerns over plastic waste levels have never been higher.

“Plastic paint can producers have been striving to break the 25 per cent recycled level for many years and to reach the 100 per cent level is a great achievement.

“The technical requirements of these containers were very challenging but we succeeded by working in co-operation with leading plastic recycler ImerPlast, whose innovative and unique compatibilisation of the post-consumer waste made this project feasible.”