Major Fire Damages Source One Plastics Recycling Plant in Germany

A serious fire broke out early Tuesday morning at the Source One Plastics recycling facility in Eicklingen, Germany, spreading rapidly through a recycling hall and destroying the building’s roof. Around 150 firefighters from multiple local brigades battled the blaze for roughly ten hours before being stood down Tuesday afternoon. Firefighting efforts were complicated by burning plastic materials, photovoltaic panels on the roof, compressed air tanks inside the building, and winter conditions that caused water to freeze. No injuries were reported. By midday Tuesday, the cause of the fire remained unknown, and police had launched an investigation. While the company’s offices were unaffected and the hall is considered structurally sound, the roof was completely destroyed, and machinery and conveyor systems had to be forcibly opened and flooded during extinguishing operations. Managing director Kai Hoyer said a full damage assessment could not yet be completed, though the company believes the affected plant components can be repaired. The Eicklingen facility, a joint venture between 23 Oaks Investments and LyondellBasell, has a design capacity of about 70,000 tones per year and processes mixed household and commercial plastic waste. The plant began operations in 2024, with additional sorting lines added in 2025, following an investment of several tens of millions of euros.