Exxon Mobil has started up a second unit for chemical recycling at its Baytown complex in Texas, doubling its capacity at the site. The US energy concern says it now has one of the largest advanced recycling facilities in North America. Since the first unit began operating in late 2022, Baytown has processed more than 100 million pounds (around 45,000 metric tonnes) of plastic waste.
According to Exxon Mobil, the additional capacity is part of a long-term strategy to scale up chemical recycling at existing refinery and petrochemical locations. Integrating new recycling units into current infrastructure is intended to reduce costs and shorten construction times.
As the new unit goes online and Exxon Mobil plans to further expand its chemical recycling capacity, the State of California is sueing the concern, arguing that it has systematically overstated the recyclability of plastics, thereby contributing to the plastics pollution crisis....
