Featured photo: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) mascot attends a Northern Michigan Hockey game event
Flint-based company will become Michigan’s largest plastic film recycler and is looking to hire Flint workers to fill 25-30 good-paying jobs starting in May 2023
WHO: Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley
Michigan Dept. of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Acting Director Dan Eichinger
EGLE Environmental Justice Public Advocate Regina Strong
State Sen. John Cherry (D-Flint)
State Rep. Cynthia Neeley (D-Flint)
Flint & Genesee Economic Alliance Executive Director Tyler Rossmaessler
ACI Plastics President Scott Melton
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. – 10:50 a.m. Press Conference | 10:50 – 11 a.m. News Media Q&A Monday, Feb. 6, 2023
WHERE: ACI Plastics, 2000 Bagwell St., Flint, between Lapeer St. and Lippincott Blvd.
***The public can watch the press conference as the event will be livestreamed on EGLE’s Facebook page: https://www.Facebook.com/RecyclingSquad.***
WHAT: Press conference where Mayor Neeley will be joined by EGLE officials, Genesee County state legislators and regional business leaders to celebrate the official grand opening of Flint-based ACI Plastics new $10 million-plus plastics recycling facility!
The company’s installation of state-of-the-art processing and cleaning technology will make ACI Plastics the largest processor of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic film in Michigan. ACI Plastics chose Flint, Michigan, over a competing site in Ohio.
ACI Plastics also is announcing 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.
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 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. 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 bins for municipalities throughout the state.
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 $300,000Renew Michigan EGLE infrastructure grant and a $150,000 Business Development Program performance-based grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
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’ cutting-edge wash line will allow for the recycling of Michigan-produced recycled plastic content to be kept in the state of Michigan for reuse rather than be landfilled or shipped to other states/countries for recycling.
Maintaining the quality of recycled materials so that they can be used in manufacturing of new products is a persistent challenge. This challenge is being addressed by the investment of ACI Plastics with the support of funds from EGLE and MEDC.
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.
Many companies have made commitments to drastically increase their use of recycled content in their packaging or products, including Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo, Keurig Dr. Pepper, Danone and Unilever. Using recycled content in packaging reduces life-cycle environmental impacts and helps to create markets for the material that Michigan residents recycle at the curb.
Here’s the challenge: There’s not enough plastic recycled for companies to meet mandates or their public commitments. That is why Michigan is investing in the NextCycle Michigan Initiative to attract innovative businesses to the state and form partnerships such as its collaboration with ACI Plastics to connect the recycled content supply chain – from the curb to new products made in Michigan.
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 pellets that can be recycled repeatedly without loss of quality.
