A plastics-processing facility in North Carolina that had been promoted as a possible answer to the growing plastic waste problem is now inactive, with regulators investigating whether hazardous chemicals were improperly handled there.
What happened?
Operations at Braven Environmental’s facility in Zebulon, North Carolina, appear to have ceased, according to Inside Climate News.
The New York-based company ran the site from 2020 to 2025 and said its pyrolysis system could handle around 90% of plastics. A visit to the facility found it largely deserted, with an odor of old oil and an interior alarm going off, despite Braven still holding its permits.
State records show dozens of hazardous waste violations at the plant. Inspectors said the company may have allowed hazardous waste to reach the ground, and regulators later cited concerns involving benzene, arsenic, and hexavalent chromium, all of which are linked to serious health risks…