OSLO—Tire recycling startup Wastefront A.S. has selected the United Kingdom for its first plant and is assessing sites for the construction of the facility.
Founded in Oslo in 2019, Wastefront has developed a process to convert end-of-life tires into commodities such as liquid hydrocarbons and carbon black.
Having recently received funding from the Norwegian national development bank, Innovation Norway, the company announced July 3 that it is aiming to start construction work "in the near future" on its first tire recycling plant which will be located in the U.K.
The Oslo startup has appointed Maria Moraeus Hanssen, former deputy CEO and chief operating officer at oil and gas company Wintershall DEA, as its chair of the board.
Other members of the senior management team include founders Inge Berge (CEO), Christian Armand Hvamstad (chief security officer and director) and Vegard Bringsjord (chief financial officer).
Moraeus Hanssen brings international experience from top-level positions within oil, gas and energy companies such as Hydro, Equinor, Aker and Engie, and has served as a board member of multiple Scandinavian companies, according to Wastefront.
Moraeus Hanssen said she was confident that the company would make "a valuable contribution to a cleaner future ... where end-of-life tires no longer end up in landfills."
Handling waste locally, she added, is important in bringing about circular economies and sustainable waste managements.
"The U.K. is a global center of industry, which makes it an ideal location for our first plant," she added.
According to Moraeus Hanssen, Wastefront plans to expand across Europe as its technical solution and business concept evolves.