Official Launch of “Områ” Marks a Milestone in Norway’s Plastic Recycling Evolution

Områ sets new standards in circular plastic recycling across Europe

Norway inaugurates Områ, a state-of-the-art facility that can sort 90,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, advancing Europe’s circular economy goals.

Norway has officially inaugurated Områ, the country’s national facility dedicated to sorting all types of plastic packaging waste — including previously unrecyclable materials that typically ended up in incineration. This launch signifies a major advancement in Europe’s circular plastics infrastructure.

Jointly owned by TOMRA (65%) and Plastretur (35%), the advanced facility is designed to process up to 90,000 tonnes of plastic annually, converting discarded packaging into consistent polymer fractions suitable for recycling.

Leveraging cutting-edge sensor-based sorting technology, Områ can separate mixed plastic waste into ten distinct monofractions—such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), and others—significantly enhancing recycling efficiency and material recovery. This breakthrough makes Områ one of the most sophisticated recycling plants worldwide, contributing to closing the loop on plastics.

“Områ is more than just a facility—it represents the missing link in Europe’s circular economy,” said Tove Andersen, President and CEO of TOMRA. “With its capability to handle all of Norway’s household plastic packaging waste, it essentially closes the loop for plastics. It also ensures reliable offtake for mixed waste sorting facilities and promotes greater material recovery from source-separated waste.”

Located in Holtskogen, near Oslo, Områ will serve as a crucial offtake solution for municipalities and waste management companies adopting automated mixed waste sorting (MWS) systems — a key driver in improving recycling rates without depending solely on household-level separation.

Under the upcoming EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), member states must recycle at least 55% of plastic packaging waste by 2030. Currently, only about one-third of Norway’s plastic packaging is recycled, while most of the remainder is incinerated.

“Områ sends a clear message to municipalities and the value chain alike: Norway now has a scalable, high-quality pathway for plastic packaging recycling,” said Karl Johan Ingvaldsen, CEO of Plastretur. “This infrastructure will be essential to meeting EU recycling targets and advancing our shared vision of a circular plastics economy.”

The inauguration ceremony gathered over 300 attendees, including representatives from municipalities, recycling firms, NGOs, brand owners, and policymakers — all recognizing Områ as a pivotal development in strengthening both Norway’s and Europe’s sustainable resource infrastructure.