An Ipswich recycling business has invested £350k in a new machine to enable it recycle old electrical cables to produce pure copper and pure plastic.

Sackers said the "significant" investment in top-of-the-range equipment would increase the copper quality it can produce to 99.95% purity because of its better media separation technology. It will also produce purer plastic.

Its new turbo mill also means it can also recycle cable faster and more efficiently than before.

The mill adds to an existing piece of plant called a granulator which cuts and separates the copper in the cable from the plastic.

The latest investment speeds up the recycling process by 25% - which means it will be able to recycle up to 900 tonnes of cable a month.

The added purity also opens up new markets for the product around the world.

Chief executive David Dodds said: “We are always looking for ways of improving our processes and getting a purer product in all areas of our business.

"The purer the product, the better it is for recycling and it’s more desirable to our end customer.

"Markets are always changing and technology is advancing which is always opening new opportunities for the business to continually invest."

East Anglian Daily Times: