After 17 years of dedicated work as an environmentalist trying to solve the number one problem with plastics production — pollution — I brought my vision to build a large-scale mechanical recycling plant to Erie so that we can get on a path to approach the demonstrated recycling success found elsewhere in the industrialized world.

“Erie stands to gain a lot from this project, especially the eastside of Erie, where the recycling facility will be built. This is a chance to breathe new life into a neighborhood that has suffered from decades of disinvestment.”

IRG is proud to be a leader in developing large-scale mechanical plastics recycling plants in the United States. We are close to finalizing $300 million in funding for a plant that will do two things: 1. dramatically increase the amount of material that will be turned back into new products without needing to produce more plastics from fossil fuels, and 2. create a byproduct from hard-to-recycle plastics that will decarbonize the steel industry by developing a less carbon-intensive, and less polluting, substitute for coal in steel production.

International Recycling Group has been planning its recycling facility in Erie for years, but has had trouble lining up financing for the unusually large project until the federal government offered a loan.

International Recycling Group has secured a guarantee for up to $182.6 million in loans from the DOE, and is looking to proceed with its long-planned project, which incorporates plastic resin production and plastic waste as feedstock for furnaces used in steel manufacture.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) today announced a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $182.6 million to IRG Erie, Inc.

“Recycling can be easier, and the easier it is, the more material we'll get and the more high recycling rates that we'll get”

The International Recycling Group, a local company committed to tackling the global plastic waste crisis, received a $509,000 Rail Freight Assistance Program Grant.

A boost for plastics recycling

Mitch Hecht, founder of IRG, welcomed Monday's announcement.

"It's going to be enormously helpful," he said. "Anytime you are doing large-scale funding you need to have the support and commitment of the state, local and county. This investment by the state offered by Governor (Tom) Wolf is an enormous vote of confidence in the future of Erie and the future of plastics recycling."

"I like to say we want Erie to become synonymous with plastic sustainability as Corning is to glass," said Hecht.

Erie County Redevelopment Authority’s (ECRDA) $300,000 investment will go towards the future home of the country’s largest plastics recycling plant.

International Recycling Group announced Wednesday it has been awarded a loan for more than $300,000 from the Erie County Redevelopment Authority.

In March, Erie-based International Recycling Group paid $1.23 million to purchase 25.4 acres of the former International Paper property to build what is billed as the nation's largest plastics recycling plant.

“We cleaned up a lot of Ash Street so that makes us feel good. We live in Edinboro but we come to Erie to enjoy the library, the lake, all these good things. We decided to come clean it up,” said Jonella Roudtree, Celebrating Earth Day.

“While IRG is transforming the outdated plastic waste collection model to create the first “all-plastics” recycling solution, we are also proud of the transformational milestone at an industrial site on Erie’s eastside abandoned two decades ago,” said Mitch Hecht, Founder and Chairman, IRG.

The property was purchased for $1.23 million from SB3 LLC, owned by Erie businessman Samuel P. “Pat” Black, III, and his daughter Sumi James-Black.

“The waste collection industry’s approach to recycling is outdated and increasingly out of reach, as we see fewer and fewer communities even continuing curbside recycling — last year, Lawrence Park eliminated its curbside recycling altogether.”

International Recycling Group (IRG) recently helped launch The U.S. Plastics Pact's (“U.S. Pact”) “Roadmap to 2025,” an aggressive national strategy illustrating how the U.S. Pact, IRG and fellow signatories, known as Activators, will achieve each of the U.S. Pact’s four 2025 targets…

“There’s enormous demand in post-consumer resin, and investors who understand the industry realize that there’s really enormous tailwinds towards having a large-scale regional sorting facility, or PRF,”

“What they're doing isn't exactly what our target business is," said Mitch Hecht, the founder and chairman of IRG. "But we were impressed with their social media gamification and use of digital currency to provide rewards for encouraging people to participate in recycling.”