Update: ACI Plastics opens $10M recycling facility in Flint, Michigan

ACI Plastics, in partnership with Luxembourg-based Ravago, has renovated one of its facilities in Flint, Michigan, as well as added a film processing line to that facility.

The company has one facility on Davison Road and one facility on Bagwell Street in Flint. The recent renovations and new line were added to the facility on Bagwell Street. 

Along with officials from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley as well as Genesee County state legislators, the Flint-based thermoplastics recycler unveiled the $10 million additions Feb. 6.

The new line features a shredder, wash line, extruder and water treatment system to process up to 24 million pounds of postconsumer film per year. Flint city officials say this installation makes ACI Plastics the largest processor of postconsumer plastic film in Michigan.

“We are proud to welcome ACI Plastics’ new facility and congratulate their entire team on this milestone achievement,” Neeley says in a statement. “I am very excited about these opportunities brought by ACI Plastics and I want to thank them for their continued investment in our great city.”

RELATED: ACI Plastics to invest $4M in recycling facility

ACI Plastics President Scott Melton says he is glad the company was able to expand one of its facilities in Flint, bringing new jobs to the city.

“We like going to sleep every night knowing that you’re not only doing something to help the environment but also providing a good living for many employees while enjoying a successful business,” Melton says.

He tells Recycling Today in late February that ACI Plastics had decided to invest in a postconsumer film recycling line at its Bagwell Street location in Flint in 2021. The new line includes a Lindner wash line and an Erema twin-screw extruder.  Prior to the installation of this film line, Melton says this location had only been used for storage and size reduction work for other resin types.

Melton adds that ACI invested in several other renovations for that location, including installing a new roof over a section of the building, repaving the parking lot, updating lighting for the on-site offices and painting.

ACI Plastics has teamed with plastic resin distributor Ravago to ship its recycled plastic pellets to its customers throughout the U.S. The company says its pellets will be turned into new products by Michigan-based consumer goods and automotive companies, including Petoskey Plastics and Grand Rapids-based recycling cart manufacturer Cascade Cart Solutions.

Melton says ACI Plastics plans to produce 24 million pounds of postconsumer plastic film this year at the Bagwell Street site in Flint. He says the company produces a total of 55 million pounds of other resin types across its four facilities—two sites in Flint, one site in South Carolina and one site in Nebraska.

He adds that ACI Plastics plans to add a second line at one of its facilities to process an additional 24 million pounds of postconsumer plastic film if demand warrants.

“Demand for what we’re doing we think is very strong,” Melton says. “If we get through the 90-day validation period where we find we’re making good pellets, that will help us determine whether to put a second line in someplace else. … So far, [as of Feb. 21], validation has been good. But it’s only been two loads, three loads.”

To date, Melton says every pound of postconsumer film produced at the Flint site has had a buyer, and he says customers have provided ACI Plastics with good feedback on its pellet quality.

ACI Plastics received funding support for the investment in the new facility through a $300,000 Renew Michigan infrastructure grant from EGLE and a $150,000 Business Development Program performance-based grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

The Renew Michigan funds are part of EGLE’s strategy to support recycling infrastructure, improve the quality of recyclable materials and promote market development.

“I am extremely impressed by what we’re seeing happen here at ACI Plastics in Flint and across Michigan with regard to increasing investments in recycling,” state Rep. Cynthia Neeley says in a statement. “By helping to build our domestic markets for recycled goods, we help to support key Michigan industries like automotive, construction materials and paper product manufacturing while also preserving the environment for the next generation.”