Feb 29 - Senator Feinstein Supports CA Plastic Bottle-to-Bottle Recycler
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently toured a bottle-to-bottle PET recycling plant in Riverside, Calif. The company, CarbonLITE, recently started operating a 220,000-square-foot facility off Michigan Avenue. The plant takes plastic bottles, breaks them down and recycles them into a product that is used to manufacture new plastic bottles. A formal grand opening is set for March 2nd. 
The plant will initially produce 75 million pounds of food-grade recycled PET annually and currently employs 100 people. At full capacity, the plant will recycle more than 2 billion plastic bottles from curbside and deposit materials and is the largest PET recycling plant in the US.
Since 2007, California has encouraged California-based manufacturers of products and packaging to utilize recycled plastic in-state, through the Plastic Market Development Program. The program has recently been renewed and expanded with the passage of AB1149 (Gordon and Wieckowski).
According to the Press Enterprise, Feinstein seemed impressed. "This is something that could be expanded," she told company executives as she got into her car.
And after her tour, Feinstein tweeted:
"I just toured the CarbonLITE plastic bottle recycling plant in Riverside. Lots of green jobs and a great facility!"
Photo credit: Frank Bellino/PE Staff Photographer