Exxon Building Second Baytown Plastic Recycling Center

You’d be right if you thought their gasoline business was thriving, but by all appearances, Exxon cannot keep up with the demand for recycled plastic. An Exxon Baytown recycling unit was brought online a little over a year ago, and they are already planning another one.

The second unit is expected to start up in 2025. It’s part of a plan to have more than 1 billion pounds of plastic waste processing capacity globally by 2027. The extra output will help meet the rising demand for certified circular plastics from companies working to reach their sustainability goals. It goes to make products from synthetic athletic fields to bubble wrap and motor oil bottles.

The first unit, which started up in December 2022, is one of the largest of its kind in North America. As of March 2024, it had processed more than 45 million pounds (22,000 metric tons) of discarded plastic.