04-04-2025
‘It's a loss for the community' ERCGP CEO speaks on canceled Erie recycling facility plans
The International Recycling Group (IRG) announced Thursday that plans for their $300 million plastic recycling plant have been canceled.
IRG purchased property on East Lake Road back in 2022 with plans to build a recycling facility and now the company is scrapping those plans due to financial challenges.
The International Recycling Group has canceled its plans to build a plastics recycling plant on East Lake Road, citing several difficulties in financing the $300 million project.
An announcement from IRG Thursday morning cited that a funding hold issued by the U.S. Department of Energy and the expectation of tariffs increasing development costs are among the reasons for cancellation.
IRG cancels plans for $300 million Erie recycling facility
The CEO of the Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership (ERCGP) said the project is a significant loss for the Erie region.
'It's a loss for the community and we're obviously frustrated with it, but it's also very important to realize that the Erie region right now has a lot of momentum, and while this slows some of it, we still have plenty of other projects and business investment,' said Brandon Mendoza, CEO of the ERCGP.
The scrapped project was funded by both local and state-level investments and was set to receive a $192 million loan from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Mendoza said the partnership is working to secure $5 million given to IRG from the Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program for use in other investments.
New International Recycling plant aims to combat climate change in Erie
We visited what would've been the site for the IRG recycling plant on East Lake Road, which would have brought a lot of jobs, people coming to work at this site here, but now the future is uncertain for this property.
'This was very high-level, advanced manufacturing, and it was definitely a longer-term investment that would've brought a lot of jobs. But really, it would've also helped out our plastic manufacturing sector here,' Mendoza said.
A statement from IRG's CEO Mitch Hecht said 'We brought the IRG project to Erie with the intention of creating high-paying, family-sustaining jobs.'
Two major Erie projects set to receive combined $8 million
He went on to say 'I am personally devastated after 18 years of working to bring this vision to a reality that we have failed to overcome these challenges.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
