Reprocessor and recycler ACI Plastics is spending $10 million to expand in Westminster, S.C.
Flint, Mich.-based ACI will partner with recyclables manager PreZero on the project, officials said in a Nov. 7 news release. The expansion includes the installation of new machinery and equipment for plastic recycling. The project is expected to be completed in April 2020.
In a Nov. 7 news release, ACI President Scott Melton said that the firm is installing equipment capable of recovering 80 million pounds of plastics that were historically shipped overseas.
"We are excited to expand our capabilities in South Carolina with our PreZero partners," Melton added. "Our Westminster location allows us to access a large amount of raw materials and an ever-growing customer base in the Southeast. The expansion will help us to provide solutions for a problematic category of mixed rigid plastics."
"It's always a great day when one of our existing companies chooses to expand and continues to find success within our borders," South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster added in the release.
Oconee County Council Chairman Julian Davis said that "in an increasingly eco-conscious world, [ACI's] work to recycle and reuse plastic waste is critical."
ACI's separation technologies include paint removal, instrument panels, electrostatic and optical separation. In addition to Flint and Westminster, ACI operates recycling sites in Tempe, Ariz.; and Columbus, Neb.
San Diego-based PreZero provides end-market solutions to waste generators and collectors. The company builds and operates state-of-the-art facilities that convert organic waste, plastics and paper into valuable raw materials and commodities.