The state of California has awarded millions of dollars in grants to projects that will recycle ag plastics and PET bottles.
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) awarded $3 million to Revolution Plastics and $3 million to rPlanet Earth.
Revolution Plastics will use the money to increase collection capacity for LDPE ag film and irrigation tube and develop a facility in Bakersfield, Calif. to recycle the items into can liners, mulch film and plastic lumber. Revolution Plastics has facilities in Arkansas, California, Texas and Wisconsin. It recently opened the California location.
Los Angeles-area company rPlanet Earth is building a massive PET recycling facility that will be capable to going straight from flakes to PET thermoform packaging, extruded sheet and bottle preforms. The company also received $2 million in low-interest loans through CalRecycle’s Recycling Markets Development Zone program, and $20.5 million in low-cost debt financing through a U.S. Treasury Department program. The state has also approved sales tax breaks for the construction project.
The latest grants came from California’s Recycled Fiber, Plastic and Glass Grant Program. Part of California’s Climate Investments initiative, the grant program uses money generated by the sale of greenhouse gas emissions permits. Auctions of greenhouse gas emissions allowances take place as part of the state’s Cap-and-Trade program.
