Plastics Technology - Dedicated to improving Plastics Processing.
Issue link: http://pty.epubxp.com/i/707262
For Petoskey Plastics Inc., Petoskey, Mich., it began on April 1, 1970 with one machine that converted pur- chased film into bags. Soon thereafter, Petoskey added an extrusion line to manufacture its own film, and over the next several years the firm continued to grow and acquire additional extrusion lines. During all of this, Petoskey Plastics (petoskeyplastics.com) developed experience in manufacturing and using recycled resins. The company's recycling journey officially began when it first started in-house recycling. "We've been recycling since 1978," says Jason Keiswetter, Petoskey Plastics' execu- tive dir. of marketing, research, and devel- opment. "This is a part of who we are." Fast-forward to the 1990s: The company really began to ramp up its recycling efforts when it was awarded a grant from the state of Michigan through the Quality of Life Bond Fund to recycle post-consumer polyethylene waste. Fifty- percent matching funds were provided, enabling Petoskey Plastics to purchase a recycling line from Italy to reprocess plastic scrap. The recycle department was further expanded with wash- line technology to reprocess post-consumer bags and film in 1991 with a State of Michigan assis- tance through a Quality of Life Grant. Petoskey's Greencore closed-loop recycling program takes post-use plastic out of the waste stream and puts it back into customer products. Petoskey Plastics began recycling in 1978 and continues to expand its green footprint by offering pellets specifically for thin-gauge blown film. A majority of Petoskey Plastics' recycling operations are conducted at its newest facilty in Hartford City, Ind. Chasing the Perfect Recycled Pellet 46 AUGUST 2016 Plastics Technology PTonline.com C h i h P f By Heather Caliendo, Senior Editor On-Site Petoskey Plastics • Petoskey, Mich.