Good jobs aren't just coming; they are already here. Last month we went to a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Center for Regenerative Design and Collaboration in York, Pa. Their first facility outside of Costa Rica turns 2 tons per hour of mixed waste plastic into an additive for concrete, asphalt and building products.
The product, Resin8, makes products lighter and stronger. Shale Crescent USA was instrumental in bringing the Costa Rican company to the USA and the Shale Crescent region. Our relationship began in the fall of 2018 at the Global Plastics Summit in Chicago. The CEO gave a presentation on his unique recycling process. I approached him after he finished and said, "You have got to come to the USA and our region." SCUSA has been working closely with them since.
After looking at South Africa and Europe, they chose York because of its proximity to large amounts of commercial plastic waste and the community's support for recycling. People have been picking up CRDC's green recycling bags for months and returning them full of plastic waste. People don't have to sort the plastic waste or wash it. They can flip a waste yogurt cup into the green bag with other plastics of all types like hot-dog wrappers or Styrofoam plates creating local jobs and feedstock for a useful product instead of waste.
The mayor of York claims his city will be the first plastic-waste-neutral city in the USA. We are encouraging the company to build its second U.S. facility in West Virginia or Ohio.
CRDC is the first operational facility SCUSA has had a hand in bringing to our region. SCUSA is working with other companies soon to be announced that are already hiring local people. These facilities are larger and take more time to build. Employees will also require more technical training, and pay is in excess of $30 per hour.
These new companies are also part of the opioid solution. People with hope are more likely to stay off drugs. The opportunity for high-wage jobs is the hope many people need.
Our workforce needs to be preparing now. The jobs are real. Now is the time to prepare.
Greg Kozera is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA.