Asian Fibres LLC has broken ground on a plastics recycling facility that, when operational, will occupy 860,000 square feet at an industrial park in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. The company says the plant will be the largest production facility for regenerated polyester staple fiber (RPSF) in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
Established in 2014 as part of the UAE-based Asian Investments Group, Asian Fibres says it will manufacture and supply RPSF that is produced from post-consumer PET bottles. The raw material for its operations will come from suppliers throughout the region who are already collecting and sorting PET bottles. The company says its new plant in the Ras Al Khaimah emirate will integrate the latest innovation and technology in the recycling business and RPSF will be manufactured from both scrap bottles and virgin PET.
The facility will initially have a production capacity of 100 metric tons per day, although it is expected production at the plant will double within one year.
“Asian Fibres is committed to serving the community by reusing and transforming waste products, thus giving them a new lease of life,” says Abubakr Ahmad, Asian Investments Group’s chief operating officer. “Currently, PET bottles are collected by municipality contractors, then crushed and exported for treatment. Asian Fibres offers the capability to treat PET waste entirely and locally, ensuring that we benefit the environment, community and the economy of the UAE.”
Adds Ahmad, “From the onset, RAKIA has been extremely efficient and helpful with every aspect of establishing our business in the UAE. We are pleased that construction on our production plant has commenced and anticipate that we will be fully operational in less than six months.”