Pennsylvania puts money where its trash is

Pennsylvania has invested nearly $1 million in grants to the state’s recycling industry, including $302,736 to Pandya Inc. of Pennsylvania’s Cambria County, so that firm can buy equipment to turn waste agricultural plastics, plant and flower containers, and grocery bags into composite-wood products. In addition, Waste Not Technologies LLC of Monroe County was granted $124,200 for equipment to process high-density polyethylene (HDPE), in addition to the low-density polyethylene and polypropylene it already processed. The addition of HDPE to its repertoire will increase recycled plastics consumption by 4 tons/day. Pandya’s grant will double it s production capacity to 4000 lb/day, helping it take waste plastic like post-consumer bottles, sawdust, and cardboard and turn it into parking blocks, speed bumps, picnic tables, landscaping products, and fencing materials.

Pennsylvania’s recycling and reuse industry reportedly leads the nation in employment in that category, with more than 3200 business earning over $18 billion in annual sales, and employing more than 81,300. The state’s Recycling Markets Infrastructure Development Grants finance machinery and equipment purchases that increase consumption of recyclable materials recovered in Pennsylvania.—[email protected]