International Recycling Group Awarded State RACP Grant to Continue Development of Plastics Recycling Plant on Erie’s Eastside
Governor Tom Wolf announced a $5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant today to International Recycling Group (IRG), a local company committed to tackling the global plastic waste crisis.
“This investment by state officials shows a meaningful vote of confidence in this transformational investment in Erie’s eastside and the future of plastics recycling,” said Mitch Hecht, Founder and Chairman, IRG. “The Erie County Redevelopment Authority (ECRDA) had already invested in our project through a sizeable loan, and the Erie community — and commonwealth — continue to show its commitment to sustainable economic development.
“IRG thanks Pennsylvania’s state officials for their support and leadership, which made this investment possible.”
The RACP award, which comes following a $300,000 loan from the ECRDA will go directly towards IRG’s facility development and construction — located at the former Hammermill Paper site — which will be the home of what will become the country’s largest plastics recycling plant. Not only will it address an urgent environmental need, but it will also enhance Erie County’s economy, by creating about 250 direct living-wage manufacturing jobs.
The country’s first SuperPRF™ (“PRF” = Plastics Recovery Facility) will revolutionize the recycling of plastics by accepting all forms of post-use plastics, including cups, lids, tubs, drink containers, food clamshells and other assorted single-use plastics from residential and commercial sources. Right now, almost two-thirds of the plastic Erie households generate are not accepted for curbside collection, which is the #1 impediment to the higher rates of recycling. IRG, with its sister company, newBin, promise to ensure not a pound of plastic goes into landfill or the environment.
To learn more about IRG and join the #RecyclingRevolution, visit https://www.InternationalRecycling.com/.
About International Recycling Group (IRG)
International Recycling Group (IRG) is designing the country’s largest plastics recycling plant to process all types and grades of plastic scrap. In the United States, according to EPA estimates, less than 9% of all plastics that enter the municipal solid waste ("MSW") stream are recycled. Combined with plastic scrap generated by industrial and commercial industries, we estimate that over 50 million tons annually of plastic scrap are destined for landfills. Plastic scrap has considerable potential to be repurposed and IRG plans to efficiently utilize this untapped resource. Located on the US Great Lakes, IRG’s new “SuperPRF” will be able to accept ALL types of plastic—not just bottles (the “#1s and #2s”). Thus, “single streaming,” or combining all plastics into a recycling bin or cart for pickup, will now be economically viable.