The PTP is operated by the Polymer Alliance Zone (PAZ). Envirocycle officials say they are excited about the partnership.
“One of the main materials we reclaim through recycling electronics is plastic, and we are excited to be working with PAZ to develop our methods and explore processing options,” Envirocycle Chief Operating Officer Greg Voorhees says. “It just seems like a natural step to ensure the most efficient use is made from the components we recover.”.
In addition to plastics recycling, Envirocycle’s West Virginia plant will also specialize in asset recovery and will offer secure data management and data destruction.
“When you make an effort to dispose of your unwanted electronics in a responsible way,” Voorhees said, “you shouldn’t have to worry about the potential misuse of the information stored on your hard drives.”
PAZ President R. V. Buddy Graham says, “We have been watching Envirocycle grow over the past few years to become one of the leaders, if not the leader, in the recycling of end-of-life electronics. They are a perfect fit for our project and we are delighted to welcome them into our PAZ family.”
Envirocycle will partner with PAZ and SDR-Technologies, a West Virginia plastics processing company owned by S. Doug Ritchie. The companies are developing an economical process to recycle mixed streams of plastics in their Wood County plant.
“This project is a great example of how the public and private sector can work together to provide good paying jobs and protect the environment,” Graham says.
The Polymer Technology Park was funded through a $4.3 million grant from the state of West Virginia. West Virginia Congressman Alan B. Mollohan has also offered his support to the project.
“We are indeed fortunate to have Congressman Mollohan’s continued support for the project,” Judy Sheppard, chairman of the PAZ board of directors, says. “Congressman Mollohan has provided funding through grants from the Department of Energy and the U.S. EPA.”
The National Energy Technology Laboratory through the West Virginia University Research Corp. administers the grants. West Virginia University, DN American and SDR-Technologies are partners in the PTP endeavor.
“We are pleased to welcome new private-sector partners to the Polymer Technology Park and look forward to the benefits of their participation,” Mollohan says. “The collaborative efforts that are underway will lead to new advances in electronics recycling technologies and help grow a promising sector of our economy.”
The Polymer Technology Park now houses Envirocycle, SDR-Technologies, PWP Industries and the National Center for Electronics Recycling.