Technological watch

Freepoint breaks ground on first commercial scale recycling facility

Freepoint recently marked the start of construction on its first commercial-scale advanced plastics recycling facility located in Hebron, Ohio. × Shutterstock

Woman throwing garbage into container. Recycling concept

The ISCC Plus Certified facility will recycle end-of-life waste plastic otherwise destined for landfills or incineration. It will span 25 acres and make use of an existing 260,000-square-foot warehouse, according to the company this it one of the largest advanced recycling facilities in the world. The facility will have the capacity to recycle approximately 90,000 tons of waste plastic per year.

Freepoint uses pyrolysis technology to convert waste plastic into feedstock that will be used to make new plastic products. As a result, less plastic waste is landfilled or incinerated, and more oil is left in the ground. Freepoint believes, overall the process reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to plastic made from fossil fuels.

 Jeff McMahon, Managing Director of Freepoint said: “Breaking ground on Freepoint's flagship facility in Ohio marks the next big step in expanding our advanced recycling footprint in the United States and across the globe. From construction to the launch of operations and beyond, the facility will have a positive impact both broadly and in the Ohio community through plastic recycling, job creation and greenhouse gas reductions. Ultimately, we are working to contribute to a more sustainable circular economy."

All recycled plastic feedstock produced by the facility will be sold to Shell in connection with a long-term supply agreement signed by Freepoint and Shell earlier this year.

Phil Turley, GM, Plastic Circularity Shell added: "I congratulate Freepoint on reaching this exciting milestone. Shell is delighted to be working with Freepoint and to have secured a hundred percent of the pyrolysis oil offtake from the plant that will be used at our Energy and Chemicals Park Norco. The pyrolysis offtake will make a valuable contribution to Shell's strategy to deliver more of the circular chemicals our customers demand and is a great example of the collaboration needed to grow this value chain."  

Commercial operations of the facility are expected to begin in the first half of 2024.

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Publication date: 19/12/2022

European Plastic Product Manufacturer

This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme

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Last update: 2022-01-31