Cheshire Joint Committee in the UK has approved a £1m ($1.2m) grant application submitted by Enviroo for the construction of a £58m ($72m) plastics recycling hub in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.

The 81,107ft² facility will specialise in recycling polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common material used in food and beverage packaging.

The process will convert PET into polymers for new food packaging products.

Board members were persuaded to approve the grant after a report highlighted the facility’s potential economic impact.

It is expected to provide full-time employment for 80 people and create 19 indirect jobs along with an estimated 83 jobs at the time of construction.

Furthermore, the facility is expected to have a processing capacity of up to 35,000 tonnes of plastic annually, contributing £4.5m in gross value added (GVA) per year to the local economy.

The grant award is contingent on finalising contracts, with Cushman & Wakefield providing an independent appraisal of Enviroo’s business case, complemented by financial due diligence from SG Financial.

The approval came shortly after Cheshire was chosen by the government as a “key growth region” for clean energy.

This follows the North West Net Zero Industrial Cluster plan, which focuses on a £30bn clean energy projects pipeline aimed at attracting investment, eliminating more than 40 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere every year.

Enviroo chief executive Ahmed Detta said: “We are delighted with the grant funding approval enabling Enviroo to develop and operate its state-of-the-art plastics recycling facility at the Protos Park.

“We look forward to being a significant contributor to helping the region achieve its Net Zero Targets.”