Freepoint Eco-Systems, Van Dyk partner on sorting system for Ohio plant

Freepoint Eco-Systems LLC, Stamford, Connecticut, is partnering with Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Norwalk, Connecticut, to build a front-end sorting system for the advanced recycling facility the company is building in Hebron, Ohio, roughly 30 miles from the state capital of Columbus in Licking County. 

The facility will recycle 90,000 tons per year of end-of-life plastic. The project will employ approximately 200 people during the construction phase and 50 people when fully operational. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2023. 

Brian Schellati, director of business development for Van Dyk, says, “Joining our experience in system design with Freepoint Eco-Systems’ dedication to finding renewable avenues for plastics led to a project that we believe is going to be very successful. The facility will accept postsorted plastics from material recovery facilities. Those materials will pass through an advanced sortation system and then ultimately become pelletized.” 

“Freepoint Eco-Systems is excited to be working with Van Dyk, a leader in North America for the installation of recycling and sorting systems, in connection with this project,” says Bilal Khan, director of engineering and operations for Freepoint Eco-Systems, an affiliate of Freepoint Commodities LLC, a global commodities merchant providing supply chain management services and eco-friendly products and solutions to its customers. “We understand the importance of developing a system that is based on innovative, cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art equipment. We believe that partnering with Van Dyk is the right decision as we develop one of the largest commercial-scale advanced recycling facilities in the United States.” 

“The Ohio facility will have a significant positive impact on the environment by reducing the consumption of crude oil-derived feedstocks for prime resins, which will result in carbon left in the ground, a more circular and sustainable economy and a healthier planet Earth,” Jeff McMahon, managing director of Freepoint, said at the time the Ohio facility was announced in December of last year. 

Freepoint says it is committed to being part of the solution to the growing environmental problem of plastic waste disposal by building, owning and operating advanced recycling facilities around the globe. In October 2021, Freepoint said it would construct its first advanced recycling facility in Texas as part of a strategic partnership with Plastic Energy Ltd. and TotalEnergies. That facility is targeted to begin commercial operations in 2024.