Resin maker moves into recycling

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

Several decades ago, nearly every major prime resin producer invested in one or more recycling facilities. As reported in Plastics Recycling Update at the time, these companies eventually backed out of the business.

Processing technologies were not as sophisticated as today, demand for recovered plastics was far less than now and the return on investment from such ventures was much lower than is typical in the chemical industry.

Will that change now? One indication that it might is the news that M&G Group, among the world's largest producers of virgin PET, will soon open a 4,400-pound-per-hour PET container recycling line in Pocas de Caldas, Brazil. M&G can make about 1.9 million tons of PET annually, including 285 million pounds at its West Virginia facility. The company will open a 2.2 billion-pound-per-year production facility in Texas in 2015.

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