After 17 years of dedicated work as an environmentalist trying to solve the number one problem with plastics production — pollution — I brought my vision to build a large-scale mechanical recycling plant to Erie so that we can get on a path to approach the demonstrated recycling success found elsewhere in the industrialized world. This effort was supported by the enormous generosity and vision of the folks at Erie Insurance, and the Prischak family of Plastek Group, who recognized the societal need to remedy the problem of plastic pollution, and to create living wage manufacturing jobs on Erie’s eastside. Last month, more than 270 people who both reside and are employed in Erie, including trade representatives and workers, signed on to a petition to support my project, asserting their belief in job creation for Erie residents, being good stewards of the environment, and embracing new technologies for the steel industry.
After reading the recent articles the Erie Times-News dedicated to our project, it appears that some misunderstandings related to the viability and environmental benefits of plastics recycling have taken hold. Unfortunately, none of the arguments made against our project are based on science-based research by experts in plastics production, waste management systems, recycling or manufacturing. Virtually all of the attacks presented have been conjured up by two organizations that are not from here — PennFuture and Beyond Plastics — and I believe they’ve been imported into Erie to push a highly scripted and disingenuous argument.