JBI to close recycling plant in Thorold, Ont.

U.S.-based plastics recycler JBI Inc. is closing its facility in Thorold, Ont. in what it describes a as a cost-cutting measure.

According to JBI, it will rely instead on “processor-ready plastics” being delivered to its plastics-to-liquid fuel-processing site in Niagara Falls, N.Y., which is the company’s headquarters.

JBI expects to save $800,000 per year by relying on third parties to deliver recycled plastics to its fuel facility, the company said in a statement, adding that it is looking to cut costs aggressively.

The closure will take place over the next few weeks, the company said; all eight employees at the Thorold site will lose their jobs.

“We feel there is a great opportunity to reduce the cost of our fuel production, as a large portion of these costs have been associated with handling and preparing the plastic before it enters our processors in Niagara Falls,” said company CFO Nicholas Terranova in a statement. ”These measures are being taken to address these specific costs directly.”