Environmental groups had long opposed the proposal, but Alterra says it ultimately halted plans due to a landowner’s decision. Alterra intends to search for another facility location in the region
By Megan Quinn, Waste Dive
Listen to the article 5 minutes
Alterra Energy has withdrawn its proposal to build a chemical recycling facility in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. The project called for processing up to 189 million pounds of plastic a year and converting it into a “synthetic oil for the manufacturing of new plastics and other valuable products.”
In an August 8 letter to the Sugarloaf Township Board of Supervisors, Alterra said it was “no longer able to pursue development” on a chosen parcel of land due to the landowner’s decision to market the land to a data center developer instead. The chemical recycler says it will continue to “monitor land opportunities within the surrounding area.”
Environmental groups such as Beyond Plastics, Luzerne County Community Action Coalition, Save Our Susquehanna and others celebrated the project’s withdrawal from the proposed location, saying the plant would have caused air pollution, snarled traffic and put strain on the surrounding environment.
Related:
What Lies Ahead for the Advanced Plastics Recycling Industry
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it; try it free for a full month
