Learn the Facts About Chemical Recycling
Toxic disasters like the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio are tragic reminders of the risks that come with any chemical operation. Big corporations are planning new “chemical recycling” plants across the Ohio River Valley. But what health, economic, and environmental impacts could lie ahead?
Communities deserve to have a say in the decisions that affect them. Let’s learn everything we can about new chemical industries – before any plans proceed.
Chemical Recycling FAQ
Q. What is chemical recycling and how does it differ from the plastics recycling we’re familiar with?
Mechanical recycling is the process most of us are familiar with. It breaks down two common types of plastics, used to make things like soda bottles and milk jugs, into pellets, which can be melted into new plastic products. But that only happens to as little as 5% of the plastic in the United States.
That’s because most plastic products are made from multiple kinds of plastic, making them particularly challenging—and expensive—to recycle. Now some companies are trying to break down these mixed plastics using ultra-high temperatures and chemicals. These processes, known as pyrolysis or gasification, essentially incinerate plastics and create a tremendous amount of pollution.
Some plants use chemical solvents and high temperatures to make feedstocks, which are then used to create other chemicals or plastics, with up to 85% of plastic waste lost as emissions, process fuel, or hazardous waste. In addition, because the energy used to heat these plastics is often produced by burning coal, oil, or natural gas, the entire process is both highly energy intensive and increases our dependence on polluting fossil fuels.
Q. Is it really recycling?
Many scientists don’t consider “chemical recycling” to be recycling at all, and the practice does little to address the growing problem of plastic waste in our oceans and environment. In most cases, these facilities don’t turn plastic waste into new milk jugs or soda bottles. Instead, discarded plastics are often broken down into dirty types of fuel. Although the industry is promoting chemical recycling as a green solution to plastic waste, the reality is that it’s an energy intensive and polluting process that creates new revenue streams for petrochemical companies.
Q. Where are these plants being built?
There are a number of plants proposed, in construction, or in operation in and around parts of the Ohio River Valley, including
- SOBE Thermal Energy Systems, Youngstown, OH, and Lowellville, OH
- Alterra, Akron, OH
- Freepoint Eco-Systems, Hebron, OH
- PTTGC America, Fayette County, OH
- PureCycle, Ironton, OH
- Clean Seas/Clean Vision, Quincy, WV
- Empire Green Generation, Follansbee, WV
One facility that was proposed for Point Township, PA, was canceled after community protest.
Health Impacts
Plastics contain thousands of chemicals, like benzene, arsenic, and lead, that have been found to be toxic and dangerous to human and animal health.
Chemical recycling combines these toxins and subjects them to high heat, which can expose workers and local residents to harmful pollutants.
These chemicals have been linked to numerous health harms, including preterm births and birth defects, increased cancer risk, heart disease, respiratory problems, and neurological issues.
Because so many of these facilities are in areas with household incomes under $25,000, the health harms disproportionately affect poor communities and communities of color.
Environmental Impacts
Although chemical recycling is being touted as a way to address our plastic waste problem, the truth is that it’s a false solution. Most chemical recycling facilities don’t actually recycle plastics, but instead use plastic waste to make fuel through very energy-intensive and polluting processes that prolong our dependence on the petrochemical industry.
At least 24 states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, have passed laws that classify chemical recycling plants as manufacturing facilities, which means they are subject to much less stringent environmental regulation.
Greenhouse gas emissions from chemical recycling are 10 to 100 times higher than those from new plastic production. In addition, chemical recycling is inefficient, with up to 80% of plastic waste lost as emissions, process fuel, or hazardous waste.
Chemical recycling facilities produce thousands of pounds of hazardous waste each month, including ignitable materials, benzene, cadmium, and lead, which are difficult and expensive to safely dispose of.
Chemical recycling facilities are prone to fires because of the flammable materials and high temperatures they use. These fires are particularly dangerous, exposing workers, first responders, and residents to harmful chemicals.
Economic Impacts
The U.S. plastics industry comes with a high cost, both in terms of public health—an estimated $249 billion in healthcare costs in 2018 alone—and public expenditures.
A Waste of Public Funds
Chemical recycling facilities are expensive to build, with total project costs averaging $1.7 billion. These plants often get large public subsidies, receiving an average of $184 million in tax-payer funding and incentives. Since 2017, at least half a billion dollars in public funding has been spent on 51 chemical recycling projects across the United States.
Unproven Technology
But chemical recycling hasn’t proven successful at turning plastic waste into high-quality fuel or into clean plastic resin, according to researchers. Most of the pilot facilities are not operating at full capacity, and none that have been built have become commercially viable. Several of the companies are operating at a loss; for example, PureCycle, owner of a chemical solvent facility in Ironton, Ohio, reported net losses of more than $200 million for 2020 through 2022.
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