Plastics recycling efforts are accelerating in the U.S., with Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Co. Inc. planning to build a large multiplastics recycling plant in New Jersey.
The expandable 40 million lb/year plant is to start up in first quarter 1991, subject to regulatory approvals, at Union Carbide's technical and manufacturing complex at Piscataway, N.J.
It's the site of the first U.S. commercial scale production of plastics more than 50 years ago.
Du Pont Co. and Waste Management of North America Inc. late last month announced their plans for full scale plastics recycling facilities in Chicago and Philadel phia (OGJ, Jan. 29, p. 44).
The Union Carbide plant will recycle polyethylene wrap such as that used in trash, lawn, grocery, produce, and merchandise bags and protective coverings such as shrink and pallet wrap; rigid polyethylene household and industrial containers such as detergent, bleach, and motor oil bottles and plastic milk and juice bottles; and polyethylene terephthalate soft drink and liquor bottles.
Union Carbide initially will target the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area for raw waste feedstock.
Longer term, Union Carbide wants to serve areas within a 500 mile radius of the Piscataway plant.
The plant will clean and separate usable plastics from other materials in the waste stream, then compound the separated materials with resins and other additives to improve physical properties and consistency of the pelletized end product.
"By increasing the quality of recycled polyethylene plastic, we will help create new applications and markets for recycled plastics," said Union Carbide polyolefins division Vice Pres. Gordon Mounts.
Plastics represent about 7% of the U.S. solid waste stream. Recycling efforts have been stepped up in the past 2 years. To date, however, most facilities have been pilot operations.
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