Kingspan recovery centre to boost circular manufacturing

Kingspan has applied for planning permission to convert an existing building at its Kingscourt manufacturing facility into a Recovery Centre dedicated to recycling insulated panels, rooflights, and plastic materials as part of the company’s expanding circular manufacturing process.

The proposal includes the creation of designated areas for waste storage, a new contractor permit building, and the retention of existing silos and a shredder room. The recovery operations would be fully integrated into Kingspan’s existing production lines, enabling the reuse of recovered materials such as polycarbonate, rooflights, and packaging.

As part of the plan, Kingspan has submitted a revised Industrial Emissions Licence (IE Licence P0065-03) to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include these new recovery activities.

At the heart of the project is an extrusion (compounding) line designed to manufacture polycarbonate pellets from regrinded waste rooflights and other recycled plastics — including “blue bottle” material — once it achieves End of Waste (EoW) certification. These pellets will then be reused in Kingspan’s Centre of Excellence (COE) rooflight production line on site.

The extrusion process involves melting polycarbonate, forcing it through a die to form strands, then cooling, cutting, and cleaning the material through a high-pressure water system before it is screened and stored in silos. Emissions from the process will be treated using an activated carbon scrubber, while any condensate water generated will be collected and removed off-site as hazardous waste.

Kingspan says the new Recovery Centre will allow the company to take back offcuts and out-of-spec materials from its own production lines and, in time, expand to collect and recycle products from construction sites and building demolitions where Kingspan materials were originally installed. Returned materials will be weighed, logged through Kingspan’s internal tracking system, and stored in secure, designated areas.

The planning application details extensive environmental controls, confirming that all air emissions from the shredder room and Recovery Centre will be treated through Kingspan’s pentane recovery system (A2-1) and carbon scrubber system (A2-3) before release.

The facility will not discharge to water, as all materials handled are solid and non-odorous. Any wastewater generated during operations will be collected and managed by licensed contractors.

The company also stated that noise and odour impacts are not anticipated, as all recovery operations will take place indoors under strict environmental monitoring. Annual testing will ensure full compliance with licence conditions.

The proposal further highlights Kingspan’s commitment to reusing packaging materials — including polystyrene, cardboard, and shrink wrap — recovered from construction sites. Cardboard and polystyrene will be reused within manufacturing, while shrink wrap will be sent for specialist recycling.

If approved, the project will enhance Kingspan’s position as a leader in sustainable manufacturing, embedding waste reduction and material recovery into its core operations while supporting national and EU circular economy goals.

A decision on the application is due by November 20, 2025.