WASHINGTON (August 15, 2019) – Last month Illinois and Ohio governors signed new legislation enabling greater adoption of advanced recycling and recovery. The American Chemistry Council’s Plastics Division welcomed the legislation and issued the following statement, which may be attributed to Craig Cookson, senior director of recycling and recovery:
“America’s plastic makers welcome the passage of HB 2491 in Illinois and HB166 in Ohio, the two most recent states to pave the way for greater adoption of advanced recycling and recovery technologies, known as chemical recycling. Expanding access to chemical recycling facilities could help these states keep post-use plastics out of landfills, turn them into new materials, attract new businesses, and support job creation.
“Illinois and Ohio are the seventh and eighth states to pass such legislation since 2017, and the fourth and fifth states to do so in 2019. They join Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, Iowa, Tennessee, and Texas in recognizing that post-use plastics are not waste but a valuable resource.
“We thank Illinois Representative Lawrence Walsh and Senator Pat McGuire, and Ohio Representative Mark Romanchuk for sponsoring these bills, and thank Illinois Governor Pritzker and Ohio Governor Dewine for signing them into law.
“These bills passed as demand for recycled plastics is growing. According to a report released earlier this year by the Closed Loop Partners, if chemical recycling technology companies meet growing demand, they have potential revenue opportunities of $120 billion in the United States and Canada.
“In Illinois, it’s estimated that converting the state’s post-use plastics into transportation fuel could power 440,000 cars each year. Experts also determined that converting just 25 percent of the state’s post-use plastics into manufacturing feedstocks and transportation fuels could support 16 advanced recycling and recovery facilities and generate $310 million in economic output annually.
“In Ohio, it’s estimated that converting the state’s post-use plastics into transportation fuel could power 330,800 cars each year. Experts also determined that converting just 25 percent of the post-use plastics in Ohio and neighboring states (post-use, recoverable plastics sourced from a 100 mile radius from the state) into manufacturing feedstocks and transportation fuels could support 25 advanced recycling and recovery facilities and generate $820 million in economic output annually.”