Nova Chemicals commissions Indiana film recycling facility

Nova Chemicals Corp., Calgary, Alberta, recently commissioned its first linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) film recycling facility, Syndigo1, in Connersville, Indiana.

The company says the facility is one of the largest and most sophisticated plastic film mechanical recycling facilities in the world. Spanning 450,000 square feet, the facility is capable of recycling 145,000 bales per year of postconsumer plastic film sourced from retailers, distribution centers and takeback programs and turning it into more than 100 million pounds of Nova’s Syndigo brand recycled LLDPE pellets, which are suitable for food- and nonfood-grade packaging applications.

Full production at the plant, which will be operated by North Carolina-based packaging producer and partner Novolex Holdings LLC, is expected by early 2026. The plant uses four automated processing lines, with equipment supplied by Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Norwalk, Connecticut.

On May 22, Nova hosted a grand opening event with nearly 100 attendees, including company CEO Roger Kearns; Novolex Chairman and CEO Stan Bikulege; representatives from Nova’s board of directors; Novolex executives and employees; customers; engineering, procurement and construction firms; original equipment manufacturers; and various state government officials. Nova says the ceremony marked the completion of 22 months of planning, construction and scale-up.

“Our Syndigo1 facility is a tangible example of what motivation, collaboration and market demand can do together,” Kearns says. “At Nova, we have decades of experience in developing products that make our lives better. As of today, we’re not only a petrochemicals producer but also a recycler of polyethylene. We’re diverting plastic waste from landfills and turning it into new, quality products that help keep our food fresh or safely transport goods and materials to store shelves.”

Nova announced its intention to build the facility and work with Novolex to operate it in July 2023. In 2024, the facility’s mechanical recycling process received a letter of nonobjection (LNO) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirming its ability to produce postconsumer rLLDPE suitable for food-contact applications. This April, the facility achieved the Recycled Material Standard certification from GreenBlue, which verifies that the Syndigo recycled polyethylene (rPE) produced at the facility is 100 percent postconsumer-recycled content. Currently, three of the facility’s four lines are in operation.

Nova says it is working with several leading manufacturers and distributors to incorporate rPE into flexible packaging, including Charter Next Generation, M. Holland, Osterman & Co., Petoskey Plastics, PolyExpert, Pregis, Sigma Plastics Group and Winpak. Citing a McKinsey report, Nova says the demand for postconsumer recycled plastic will triple by 2030 to about 90 million tons, while a survey the company conducted claims 75 percent of consumers agreed that companies should increase the use of packaging made from recycled materials.

“There continues to be high interest from converters, retailers and brand owners for recycled polyethylene, and our state-of-the-art facility accelerates our ability to meet this demand,” Kearns says. “We can leverage the latest technologies to ensure plastic film is recycled and reused.”

Nova says Syndigo1 works with major retailers and distribution centers across the United States to collect back-of-store PE film which provides “consistent and clean feedstock” for rPE. The company adds that the facility will collect an average of 400 bales of plastic film each day, or 14,000 bales each month.

Syndigo pellets produced at the Connersville facility will be suitable for a wide variety of packaging applications—from trash can liners to food packaging—and a grade of Syndigo rLLDPE has FDA compliance for all food types under Conditions of Use B-H. It also can be used to add recycled content for the full scope of food packaging applications including pantry staples, refrigerator items and freezer packaging.

As part of the grand opening ceremony, Nova announced a $25,000 donation to the Fayette Community Foundation to establish the Nova Chemicals Community Impact Fund to support local programs and projects including youth development and education to health and human services, public safety and community betterment. The company says the donation is eligible for a matching fund grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.’s GIFT VIII initiative, which matches eligible contributions at a rate of $2 for every $1 donated. The Fayette Community Foundation will receive an additional $50,000 from Lilly Endowment.