Chemical recycling projects are unlikely to generate local economic benefits or curtail global plastic pollution, according to forthcoming research from the Ohio River Valley Institute (ORVI). The report explores the unproven mechanics of energy-demanding, waste-intensive chemical recycling and the market hurdles likely to inhibit development in central Appalachia.

“The economics of chemical recycling appear insurmountable without billions of dollars of investment, as the technology for chemical recycling processes is unproven, yields are low, infrastructure is immature, and the market for its product is still undeveloped,” explained co-author and ORVI research fellow Kathy Hipple. In April, Houston-based Encina Development Group scrapped plans to construct a chemical recycling facility in Point Township, PA, after facing years of intense community opposition and economic stumbling blocks.

Join report authors and Save Our Susquehanna member Sandy Field, who helped organize community opposition to the Encina project, for a discussion of the report’s key findings and the hurdles facing chemical recycling projects in the Ohio River Valley.