100 green jobs being created at 'world leading' tyre recycling plant in the Port of Sunderland

Report by Julia Barthram

100 green jobs are being created at a world leading tyre recycling plant in the Port of Sunderland.

The plant, being opened by Norwegian firm, Wastefront, is the first of its kind and will turn old tyres into new and upgraded materials.

It will break the tyres into their three components - rubber, carbon black and wire and recycle each.

It will be able to produce enough carbon black for the manufacture of all tyres in the UK. The rubber will be turned into bio fuel for the aviation and transport industry or bio plastic.  The wire will be recycled as scrap metal.

Vianney Valès, CEO of Wastefront told ITV News Tyne Tees: "No noise, no smell, no emissions. This is a state of the art, ultra modern facility.

"This is the type of plant you expect in the 21st Century. The green credentials are our main objective."

100 people will be employed at the plant and recruitment is beginning this week.

It's hoped to have the workforce in place next year ahead of the plant opening early in 2024. Hundreds jobs will be created during the construction work which begins this summer.

Clllr Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council said: "I would like to think that we've snuck ahead of everyone. Manufacturing jobs which push CO2 into the atmosphere are going to have to go, so Sunderland as a council is looking 10, 15 years down the road to see where the next set of jobs come from."