ACI Plastics will become Michigan’s largest recycler of postconsumer plastic film
The recycled pellets from ACI Plastics will be shipped and turned into new products by Michigan-based companies. (Credit: Vivianne Lemay on Unsplash)
Officials with the Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) joined with Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Genesee County state legislators and business leaders to unveil Flint-based ACI Plastics’ new $10 million-plus plastics recycling facility.
The firm is partnering with Luxembourg-based Ravago – the world’s largest distributor of plastic resins serving more than 55 countries across the globe – to ship its recycled film, reconstituted as pellets, to business customers throughout the United States. The plastic film, such as shrink wrap and bags used in product packaging, comes from companies such as Meijer, Amazon, and Walmart. Flint was chosen for the project over a competing site in Ohio.
The recycled pellets from ACI Plastics will be shipped and turned into new products by Michigan-based companies, including Petoskey Plastics and Grand Rapids-based manufacturer Cascade Cart Solutions, which makes plastic recycling carts and bins.
“We like going to sleep every night knowing that we’re not only doing something to help the environment but also providing a good living for many employees while enjoying a successful business,” said ACI Plastics President Scott Melton.
ACI Plastics employs about 120 workers at its four locales (two in Flint and one each in South Carolina and Nebraska). The company has received funding support for its investment through a $300,000 Renew Michigan EGLE infrastructure grant and a $150,000 Business Development Program performance-based grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
The Renew Michigan funding is part of EGLE’s strategy to support recycling infrastructure, improve the quality of recyclable materials, and promote market development for Michigan’s circular economy using the Renew Michigan Fund, which the Legislature created in 2019 to bolster the state’s recycling efforts. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state Legislature are committed to raising Michigan’s recycling rate to 30% by 2025 and 45% by 2030, exceeding the national recycling rate of 32%.
At its peak later this year, ACI Plastics innovative recycling system will process 24 million pounds of post-consumer plastic film each year with the ability to increase capacity another 24 million pounds per year if demand warrants.
ACI Plastics announced it will create 25-30 new jobs to operate the plant, with wages from $15-$20 per hour. The company is looking to hire its new employees beginning in May 2023 and is committed to prioritizing applications from City of Flint residents.
Each year, more than 380 million tons of plastics are produced globally. Less than 10% of these plastics are reused or recycled, leading to significant accumulation and waste as products are incinerated, dumped in landfills or lost in the environment. Investments like this to support a circular economy for plastics is a key part of Michigan’s work to reduce climate change and work toward the 45% recycling goal identified in the MI Healthy Climate Plan, the broad-based roadmap to a sustainable, carbon-neutral Michigan economy by 2050.
The recycling process also helps ensure a steady supply of material for manufacturers to work with. ACI Plastics’ new approach will reduce carbon emissions and pollution by using waste plastic as a new source of raw material and transforming it into a new material that can be recycled repeatedly without loss of quality.
Source: Company Press Release