Planned Expanded Exxon Recycling Site Will Have "Capacity" For .0625% Of Annual Global Plastics Output

[hatrack]

Hurray. We're saved.

HOUSTON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N)
, opens new tab, which is facing a California lawsuit over its alleged role in global plastic waste pollution, is going forward with plans to expand plastics recycling to replace fossil fuels with discarded plastic waste, the company said on Thursday.

The move by one of the world's largest polymer producers comes amid growing concerns about slow-to-disintegrate plastics filling landfills, leaching into ground water and creating potential health hazards. Exxon, which is championing pyrolysis techniques that convert waste into new plastic, will spend $200 million in Texas to expand so-called circularity operations in a global effort to build the capacity to process 1 billion pounds (454 million kg)of waste annually by 2027. The company calls its recycling technology Exxtend.

California filed a lawsuit against Exxon in September, alleging the company was deliberately misleading the public about the limitations of recycling. Exxon rejects allegations that it misleads the public about the limitations of plastics recycling, or about climate change.

The company's Baytown, Texas, complex this year will process 80 million pounds of plastic waste. The expansion will allow it and a nearby Beaumont, Texas, plant the capacity to process up to 500 million pounds in 2026. The products will be sold with a certificate describing their origin, explained Karen McKee, president of ExxonMobil Product Solutions. “We sell virgin-quality product and a subset of our customers are buying a ‘certified circular certificate’ to demonstrate that for every ton that they buy with this certificate, a ton of post-use plastic was fed into our facility," McKee said.

EDIT

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/exxon-under-fire-over-plastic-recycling-spending-200-mln-expand-texas-plants-2024-11-21/

[Envirogal]

1. Wow, that was fast

Exxon and the plastics industry have only been lying to us about the “recycling will save us” myth for 60 years. This new chemical recycling plant is a good start in helping manage the end of life of their products that they have ignored since the beginning. they are in for a hard lesson on getting this material back to their plant and the manner that they want it. Municipal recycling streams are a mess and expensive to collect then sort.

But it in no way means the plastics industry are intending to make less plastic, just the opposite. This plant is a Trojan horse to get into the PR Fort and deflect regulations and bans. They need to keep the focus on the usefulness of the product, not the problems caused by it. The plastics industry plans on doubling production of virgin resins. There is no way if recycling was viable that they would be doubling plastic production because we are a wash by plastic waste of which Exxon and others have never been held to account or made to pay for all the decoration that local governments have had to do.

[Pinback]

2. 99.375% to go.

Baby steps, baby steps.