Official opening of “Områ” transforms Norway’s plastic recycling capability

A new chapter for circular plastics in Europe begins today with the official opening of Områ, Norway’s new national facility for sorting all types of plastic packaging waste—including plastic that previously had no other option than to go to incineration.

Jointly owned by TOMRA (65%) and Plastretur (35%), the state-of-the-art facility has the capacity to process 90,000 tonnes of plastic per year, transforming plastic packaging waste into uniform polymer fractions ready for recycling.

Områ uses advanced sensor-based technology to sort mixed plastic waste into ten separate monofractions— including polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), and others — enabling improved recovery and increased recycling rates. This innovation closes the loop for plastics and represents one of the most advanced installations of its kind globally.

Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA, said: Områ is more than a facility — it’s a missing link in Europe’s circular economy. This facility has the capacity to receive and transform all of Norway’s household plastic packaging waste into recyclable fractions, essentially closing the loop for plastics. It is a cornerstone piece of infrastructure providing reliable offtake for mixed waste sorting facilities, and can help recover more resources from source separated material.

The new facility, located at Holtskogen, just outside Oslo, will serve as a reliable offtake solution for municipalities and waste management companies considering the introduction of automated mixed waste sorting (MWS), a crucial step for increasing recycling rates without depending solely on household source separation.

By 2030 the EU requires minimum 55% of plastic packaging waste to be recycled (i.e., collected and recycled at scale) under the forthcoming PPWR. Today, approximately one-third of Norway’s plastic packaging waste is recycled; the rest is mostly incinerated.

Karl Johan Ingvaldsen, CEO of Plastretur, said: Områ gives municipalities and the entire value chain a clear signal: there is now a scalable, high-quality route for plastic packaging. It provides the infrastructure needed to meet EU recycling targets and supports our shared ambition to build a truly circular plastics economy.

The opening ceremony today brings together over 300 guests — including municipal representatives, recyclers, brand owners, NGOs, and policy experts — to mark the inauguration of what is set to become a cornerstone of Norway’s and Europe’s resource infrastructure.