Norwegian plastics recycler Tomra seeks to expand in China

Norway's Tomra, the world's top maker of machines that collect plastic bottles and repay a deposit, is seeking to expand in China as governments worldwide work to limit waste, Chief Executive Stefan Ranstrand said on Wednesday.

He welcomed a decision by Britain last month to impose deposits on single-use drink containers, which drove Tomra's stock to a 17-year high. Tomra collects 35 billion bottles and cans a year in markets from Germany to California.

"We see a very strong worry in the world right now as a result of the big quantities of plastic in the oceans," Ranstrand told Reuters.

"We always are very cautious in predicting (future markets for recycling). But we have never seen so much attention to the topic." Apart from Britain, other recent bottle deposit markets include Lithuania and the Australian state of New South Wales.