Petoskey Plastics Inc., a maker of blown plastic film and bags, is using a $175,000 grant to expand plastic recycling at its Hartford City, Ind., site.
The Petoskey, Mich.-based company will use the grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's Recycling Market Development Program to help purchase additional sorting equipment, the state said.
The new equipment will allow the company to remove contaminants from stretch film bales and increase output from existing operations, IDEM said.
Petoskey Plastics expects to hire about 16 new workers in Hartford City.
News of the grant and the expansion continues a history of growth in Indiana for the company.
Earlier this year, Petoskey Plastics said increased demand for its recycled-content products was fueling growth in Hartford City for its polyethylene products with recycled content.
The company, at that time, said a 10-year, $6.2 million tax abatement from the city would help with a project that would help expand recycling and manufacturing capacity. That came after a $9.7 million expansion at the Hartford City site that added 80 jobs last year.
More than half of the products made by Petoskey Plastics include at least 50 percent postconsumer recycled content. The company serves a variety of industries, including automotive, grocery, medical, recycling, food, retail, packaging and construction.
Petoskey recycled than 26 million pounds of film and bags at the Hartford City site last year.
Used plastics are ground into flakes and washed before being extruded into pellets. That recycled resin is then used to help make new products, including garbage bags, can liners and seat covers. The recycled resin is sandwiched between two layers of virgin material.
Petoskey Plastics has been in Hartford City since 2007.
