Firefighters extinguished a “largescale” fire involving approximately 600 tonnes of recovered plastic at a Capital Valley Plastics’ site in Blaenavon, Gwent, yesterday (5 September).
Recycler Capital Valley Plastics manufactures plastic membranes for the construction and packaging industries. In addition to its Blaenavon site it has its headquarters and a plant two miles south of the town at Cwmavon.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) says it was first called to the company’s Blaenavon site at the Kays and Kears Industrial Estate at 9:39pm on Saturday 4 September.
Crews from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), Gwent Police, Public Health Wales and the fire service worked together using a range of specialist equipment including aerial ladder platforms, high volume pumps and several fire engines to tackle the smouldering material.
“A clean-up process is now underway,” said SWFRS in a statement to letsrecycle.com today (6 September).
They added: “The site will remain closed as a precaution to allow for a full clean-up operation and to ensure that the area is made safe.
“Fire investigators have re-inspected the area on multiple occasions over the course of the weekend and will be on site this morning to provide further checks.
“Crews alongside our partners would like to thank local residents and community for their patience and support.”
The cause of the fire is as yet unknown. Capital Valley Plastics has been contacted for comment.
Polythene membranes
Founded in Cwmavon in 1987, Capital Valley Plastics says it collects scrap polythene from more than 100 businesses and organisations. In 2020 it employed 95 people.
The plastics recycler was reported to have secured a £150,000 finance package from HSBC in 2018 to acquire the 38,000 sq ft Blaenavon site, which houses a recycling plant producing plastic pellets. It is thought the buildings which caught fire stored plastic for recycling.
Capital Valley Plastics uses extrusion machines to produce blown plastic film. The plastic pellets are fed into the barrel of the machine, where they are heated until molten, and then forced at pressure through the barrel by a screw.
The company has also been backed by the Welsh Government. It received a grant of more than £116,000 from the Welsh Government and WRAP Cymru in 2019 to part-fund the purchase and installation of a blown film extrusion machine.
Penallta industrial estate
The Blaenavon fire is the second large waste fire to hit Wales in a week. Crews from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and SWFRS were called to a “large fire” at a waste recycling site on the Penallta industrial estate in Caerphilly on 1 September.
The fire, at SL Recycling, involved about 200 tonnes of machinery and recycling materials including plastic, foam, electrical items, lead batteries and gas cylinders.
NRW says a “large amount” of oil and petrol entered a stream near the industrial site, leading to “a number of” dead fish.
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service says the blaze was extinguished shortly after 9am.
David Letellier, duty tactical manager for NRW, said in a statement published on 3 September: “We’ll continue to monitor the impact on air quality and local watercourses over the coming days and ensure the necessary measures are in place to minimise the impact this has on the environment.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
