Nova to open its first mechanical recycling plant

The exterior of the Connersville plant. Photo Credit: Nova Chemicals Corp.

In a move to boost its presence as a supplier of sustainable polyethylene (PE) in North America, Calgary-based Nova Chemicals Corp. has announced plans to open its first mechanical recycling plant, in Connersville, Ind., through a partnership with packaging provider Novolex Holdings Inc.

In a July 18 news release, Nova officials said the Connersville facility – which will be run by Novolex – will process post-consumer plastic films to produce the company’s Syndigo-brand recycled polyethylene (rPE) at commercial scale as early as 2025, delivering over 100 million pounds of rPE to the market by 2026.

Novolex is a developer of packaging products for the foodservice and industrial markets. It has more than 15 years of experience operating plastic film recycling facilities.

The Connersville facility will employ approximately 125 people and – according to Nova – will be one of Connersville’s largest private employers. The existing 1.7-million-square-foot plant, which sits on 186 acres, was formerly used to manufacture automotive parts and for cabinet making. The new recycling facility will occupy about 450,000 square feet, according to Nova, and the location was selected because of its proximity to five metropolitan areas in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois, and convenient rail access for distribution of the rPE to customers. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. provided tax incentives and grants.

“Plastic products play an essential role in our daily lives and will continue to be a valuable resource in establishing a lower-carbon and sustainable world. They are an invaluable resource for furthering the North American circular economy,” said Greg DeKunder, vice president, Nova Circular Solutions. “This project with Novolex and the State of Indiana is yet another example of how Nova is working to find collaborative ways to recapture the value of plastic materials and use them again and again.”

Nova plans to expand its recycling footprint over the next several years to help it reach its 2030 ambition of 30 per cent recycled content as a share of its total PE sales – part of Nova’s recently-announced 2030 Roadmap to Sustainability Leadership targets, which includes an anticipated investment of between US$2 billion and US$4 billion by 2030 to expand its sustainable product offerings.