Pictured, left to right, are Robert Koppen, of Lightweight Containers, Sam Evans, of WDS, and Natalie Maestri of Lightweight Containers

The WDS Group and KeyKeg have established a closed-loop recycling programme for KeyKegs.

Most plastic beverage kegs in the UK are not recycled and often end up in landfill. To overcome this problem, WDS Group has teamed up with OneCircle to create a circular programme which recycles the basic materials from KeyKegs, turning them into new, useable KeyKegs.

The programme was launched as a pilot scheme in London, and now WDS Group has taken up the baton for the North. It will collect the used KeyKegs from bars and deliver them to plastic recycling specialist OneCircle, where the units are then processed and turned back into KeyKegs .

Together with its customers, beverage distributors, and bars, OneCircle is building a community that is collecting KeyKegs and preparing them for processing. OneCircle, an initiative of the company Lightweight Containers, is responsible for the recycling and transportation of KeyKegs.

Sam Evans, sales director of WDS Group, said: “We estimate that more than 500,000 KeyKegs end up in Manchester alone every year, and it is great that we can now use them as raw materials again. It meets a huge need.

“Many bars and breweries have heard that we are going to process KeyKegs and have spontaneously saved them up. It is clear to them that a lot of plastic ends up in landfill and they want to prevent that from happening. The time has come to work together with packaging producers on closed loops, and OneCircle is leading the way.”

Annemieke Hartman, from OneCircle, added: “We are very pleased to welcome WDS group to the OneCircle community. WDS group is among the leaders in sustainability and, together with OneCircle, they are expanding this lead. By re-using the raw materials from KeyKegs we lower the CO2 footprint of their beer to the lowest in the industry.”