Wisconsin Firm Targets PLA Plastic

A company called Plarco Inc., based in Eau Claire, Wis., says it will be dedicated “exclusively to recycling post-consumer and post-industrial poly-lactic acid (PLA) back into lactic acid — PLA’s fundamental building block.”

In a news release, Plarco says PLA “is the most widely applied resin and fiber among a new generation of polymers made from plants, not oil.”

Plarco has contracted with California-based BioCor (www.biocor.org), which purchases and resells scrap PLA, to be what it call its “exclusive recycler of post-consumer and post-industrial PLA.”

Additionally, NatureWorks (www.natureworksllc.com), a maker of PLA products under the Ingeo brand name, has entered into an agreement to purchase the lactic acid Plarco produces. The lactic acid will be shipped to NatureWorks’ Blair, Neb., facility, where it will be polymerized into Ingeo biopolymer, according to the news release.

“Plarco’s recycling process will help to create true cradle-to-cradle reuse of post-consumer and post-industrial PLA,” says Plarco CEO Charles L. (Chuck) Terry. “Our contractual relationships with both BioCor and NatureWorks and the trend toward greater use of biopolymers bode well for Plarco’s sustained business growth.”

Plarco’s plant is located at the WRR Environmental Services and EnviroGreen Solutions facility in Eau Claire. Belgium-based Galactic, a global producer of lactic acid, and EnviroGreen are part owners of the new venture.

“The supply chain in which BioCor locates and aggregates post-consumer and post-industrial PLA scrap, Plarco processes the scrap back to lactic acid, and NatureWorks utilizes reclaimed lactic acid as a cost effective raw material in its polymer process demonstrates the versatility and sustainability of PLA in terms of end-of-life options,” says Mike Centers, BioCor executive director.