Episode 12: How to Shut Down a Chemical Recycling Facility

Community action stops a proposed polluter in its tracks.

Activists Sandy Field and Andrew Stuhl join On Air to discuss their victory in shutting down the proposed Encina chemical recycling facility in Point Township, PA. The now-dead plastic chemical recycling plant faced immediate community opposition when it was announced in 2022. The proposed facility—which would have been the largest of its kind in the United States—intended to use extreme heat and refining processes to convert plastic into toxic benzene, toluene, and xylene to be shipped by rail throughout the state, raising major air quality and safety concerns. The process would have used 2.9 million gallons of water a day from the Susquehanna River, threatening to pollute a vital source of drinking water with microplastics and PFAS. Their organizing efforts are a playbook for other communities facing similar proposed polluters. 

Learn more about the victory at saveoursusquehanna.org. 

Learn more about Clean Air Council at Cleanair.org.

Tune in wherever you listen to podcasts or listen to all past episodes at cleanair.org/on-air