Exxon Pledges $200 Million to Expand Advanced Recycling in Texas

Wedoany.com Report-Nov 22, Exxon Mobil Corp. announced plans to more than triple its so-called advanced-plastics recycling capacity in Texas in a move that pushes back against a lawsuit by California officials. 

The $200 million expansion at refineries in the towns of Baytown and Beaumont will enable Exxon to handle an additional 175,000 tons of difficult-to-recycle plastics like potato-chip bags, artificial turf and industrial packaging, the company said in a statement. Added to existing capacity, Exxon aims to recycle 250,000 tons of discarded plastic annually in the US by 2026. 

Every year, as much as 23 million tons of plastic waste pollutes lakes, rivers and seas around the world, affecting ecosystems, wildlife and individual livelihoods, especially in the developing world, according to the United Nations. Exxon and other petrochemical manufacturers have long been accused of promoting recycling as a solution, even as they ramped up production of single-use plastics. 

California sued the company in September for “misleading public statements and slick marketing promising that recycling would address the ever-increasing amount of plastic waste Exxon Mobil produces.” The company refuted the allegations, saying that effective recycling works, and indicated it plans to contest the suit. 

“This is real, and, by the way, we’re spending real money,” Karen McKee, president of Exxon Mobil Product Solutions, said in an interview. “We are as concerned as anybody else about the leakage of plastic waste into the environment.”

“For every ton of post-use plastic that we are processing, we’re backing out a ton of fossil-fuel feed,” McKee said. “Our customers are willing to pay a premium for certified-circular certificates that recognize that for every ton certificate that we have processed a ton of post-use plastic in our facility.”

“Revenue we raise from that is sufficient for us to have an attractive investment for our shareholders,” she added.