Real Stories
Real Impacts
Real Impacts
Point Township Stands Up and Wins Big
In April 2022, Encina Development Group LLC showed up in tiny Point Township, Pennsylvania, with promises of jobs and prosperity in the form of a “circular recycling plant.” At first, it sounded like a gift from heaven. A local pharmaceutical plant was closing soon, and with it, 300 well-paid jobs would evaporate from the town of less than 4,000 people in Northumberland County. Encina assured folks that their new plant would bring both temporary construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs that required almost the same expertise as the jobs at the soon-to-be-gone pharmaceutical plant. Who could argue with that?
Add to that, Encina was proposing to take plastics out of the waste stream under the banner of “circular recycling,” which claims to create a virtuous cycle by which plastic waste fuels the production of chemicals. In a world overrun with plastic waste—from our oceans to our own bodies—it almost sounded too good to be true.
Well, that’s because it was. And thankfully, local activists and concerned citizens weren’t fooled. From the very first open house, community members smelled foul play. First, there was the fact that the technology Encina described was completely untested and unproven. Despite the green-washed glow of terms like “advanced recycling,” “circular recycling,” or “chemical recycling,” these technologies are overwhelmingly unproven, toxic, and, in some cases, amount to little more than burning plastic for fuel. According to Encina’s plan, the proposed plant would produce highly noxious chemicals like benzene and xylene to sell on to their customers to make plastic. These are chemicals that can damage your respiratory, circulatory, and reproductive systems. These chemicals can drastically increase your risk of cancer, kidney disease, and even vision impairment.
On top of that, there was the inevitable increase in planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions, from the plant itself and from the trucks bringing the plastic in and, presumably, the byproducts out. The plan was to bring in over 100 trucks per day of post-consumer plastic to the site, potentially creating serious traffic issues in this small town along the river. In addition, there was the gas pipeline Encina would use to power the process of vaporizing the plastics—creating carbon dioxide and increasing the risk of methane leaks, which is an even more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
And all of this would be happening right next to the beloved and important Susquehanna River, which is one of the most flood-prone watersheds in the U.S. Flooding on its own can be devastating, taking lives, destroying homes, and costing millions to recover and rebuild. Add a petrochemical facility and communities also face polluted waterways, toxic spills, and emergency flaring. Along the Susquehanna, building a petrochemical facility would mean risking a key source of pride and drinking water—for Point Township and for millions of people across the Susquehanna River Valley.
So, while some community members saw green dollar signs in the potential job numbers, others saw the greenwashing on the wall. And they were right to be concerned. Looking across the rest of the industry, advanced recycling plants have terrible track records. Most such facilities never reach full capacity, never turn a profit, and never produce much more than more plastic, more emissions, and more toxic chemicals.
By November 2022, the Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council had filed an appeal against the plant’s designation as a “manufacturing” facility, which allowed it to avoid a slew of regulations. Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that passed industry-endorsed legislation classifying advanced recycling as “manufacturing” instead of “waste management” since the facilities ostensibly produce a product (though few ever do). However, since the plant in Point Township was going to be built in phases and the first phase included only the acceptance, sorting, and shipping out of plastic waste, Clean Air Council argued that Encina did not merit the classification.
Meanwhile, concerned citizens in Northumberland County organized themselves into Save Our Susquehanna—or SOS—and got to work. [you can link to our website, which is still up] They attended township and planning meetings, wrote and distributed petitions, knocked on doors and distributed yard signs, held public meetings, and lobbied their local officials and administrators against the plant.
"Save our Susquehanna was effective because the whole community came together, from all different backgrounds and perspectives, and people were willing to speak to their local elected officials and neighbors about their concerns from their point of view. Once people learned what was really planned, and what it would mean to our air and our river, they were against it. We had great support from national groups like Clean Air Council, Climate Reality Project, GAIA, and Beyond Plastics who were with us all the way, not just helping with legal aspects but also knocking on doors and drafting mailers. In the end, Encina's plan was just too risky and not built on a firm scientific or economic foundation. Everyone could see that."
For Encina’s part, they continued to avoid community questions and concerns, hiding behind claims of “proprietary technology” to evade legitimate questions about the health and environmental impacts of their operations. Their evasiveness, in fact, extended into their permit applications, which were denied or returned again and again, often for insufficient information.
On April 18, 2024, Encina finally gave up, announcing that it was abandoning its plans for Point Township. Instead, the company said it would focus on projects in other markets in the United States and abroad. While the press release did not give a specific reason for the withdrawal, it’s a safe bet that the community’s mobilization made it clear that the company was not welcome in Central Pennsylvania.
"The power of people standing up to protect their community is limitless, and that's what won the day here," said Alex Bomstein, executive director of Clean Air Council. "Encina's greenwashing scam is dead, but we need to stay vigilant for this type of fake recycling facility popping up in other communities."
In April 2022, Encina Development Group LLC showed up in tiny Point Township, Pennsylvania, with promises of jobs and prosperity in the form of a “circular recycling plant.” At first, it sounded like a gift from heaven. A local pharmaceutical plant was closing soon, and with it, 300 well-paid jobs would evaporate from the town of less than 4,000 people in Northumberland County. Encina assured folks that their new plant would bring both temporary construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs that required almost the same expertise as the jobs at the soon-to-be-gone pharmaceutical plant. Who could argue with that?
Add to that, Encina was proposing to take plastics out of the waste stream under the banner of “circular recycling,” which claims to create a virtuous cycle by which plastic waste fuels the production of chemicals. In a world overrun with plastic waste—from our oceans to our own bodies—it almost sounded too good to be true.
Well, that’s because it was. And thankfully, local activists and concerned citizens weren’t fooled. From the very first open house, community members smelled foul play. First, there was the fact that the technology Encina described was completely untested and unproven. Despite the green-washed glow of terms like “advanced recycling,” “circular recycling,” or “chemical recycling,” these technologies are overwhelmingly unproven, toxic, and, in some cases, amount to little more than burning plastic for fuel. According to Encina’s plan, the proposed plant would produce highly noxious chemicals like benzene and xylene to sell on to their customers to make plastic. These are chemicals that can damage your respiratory, circulatory, and reproductive systems. These chemicals can drastically increase your risk of cancer, kidney disease, and even vision impairment.
On top of that, there was the inevitable increase in planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions, from the plant itself and from the trucks bringing the plastic in and, presumably, the byproducts out. The plan was to bring in over 100 trucks per day of post-consumer plastic to the site, potentially creating serious traffic issues in this small town along the river. In addition, there was the gas pipeline Encina would use to power the process of vaporizing the plastics—creating carbon dioxide and increasing the risk of methane leaks, which is an even more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
And all of this would be happening right next to the beloved and important Susquehanna River, which is one of the most flood-prone watersheds in the U.S. Flooding on its own can be devastating, taking lives, destroying homes, and costing millions to recover and rebuild. Add a petrochemical facility and communities also face polluted waterways, toxic spills, and emergency flaring. Along the Susquehanna, building a petrochemical facility would mean risking a key source of pride and drinking water—for Point Township and for millions of people across the Susquehanna River Valley.
So, while some community members saw green dollar signs in the potential job numbers, others saw the greenwashing on the wall. And they were right to be concerned. Looking across the rest of the industry, advanced recycling plants have terrible track records. Most such facilities never reach full capacity, never turn a profit, and never produce much more than more plastic, more emissions, and more toxic chemicals.
By November 2022, the Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council had filed an appeal against the plant’s designation as a “manufacturing” facility, which allowed it to avoid a slew of regulations. Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that passed industry-endorsed legislation classifying advanced recycling as “manufacturing” instead of “waste management” since the facilities ostensibly produce a product (though few ever do). However, since the plant in Point Township was going to be built in phases and the first phase included only the acceptance, sorting, and shipping out of plastic waste, Clean Air Council argued that Encina did not merit the classification.
Meanwhile, concerned citizens in Northumberland County organized themselves into Save Our Susquehanna—or SOS—and got to work. [you can link to our website, which is still up] They attended township and planning meetings, wrote and distributed petitions, knocked on doors and distributed yard signs, held public meetings, and lobbied their local officials and administrators against the plant.
"Save our Susquehanna was effective because the whole community came together, from all different backgrounds and perspectives, and people were willing to speak to their local elected officials and neighbors about their concerns from their point of view. Once people learned what was really planned, and what it would mean to our air and our river, they were against it. We had great support from national groups like Clean Air Council, Climate Reality Project, GAIA, and Beyond Plastics who were with us all the way, not just helping with legal aspects but also knocking on doors and drafting mailers. In the end, Encina's plan was just too risky and not built on a firm scientific or economic foundation. Everyone could see that."
For Encina’s part, they continued to avoid community questions and concerns, hiding behind claims of “proprietary technology” to evade legitimate questions about the health and environmental impacts of their operations. Their evasiveness, in fact, extended into their permit applications, which were denied or returned again and again, often for insufficient information.
On April 18, 2024, Encina finally gave up, announcing that it was abandoning its plans for Point Township. Instead, the company said it would focus on projects in other markets in the United States and abroad. While the press release did not give a specific reason for the withdrawal, it’s a safe bet that the community’s mobilization made it clear that the company was not welcome in Central Pennsylvania.
"The power of people standing up to protect their community is limitless, and that's what won the day here," said Alex Bomstein, executive director of Clean Air Council. "Encina's greenwashing scam is dead, but we need to stay vigilant for this type of fake recycling facility popping up in other communities."
In April 2022, Encina Development Group LLC showed up in tiny Point Township, Pennsylvania, with promises of jobs and prosperity in the form of a “circular recycling plant.” At first, it sounded like a gift from heaven. A local pharmaceutical plant was closing soon, and with it, 300 well-paid jobs would evaporate from the town of less than 4,000 people in Northumberland County. Encina assured folks that their new plant would bring both temporary construction jobs and 300 permanent jobs that required almost the same expertise as the jobs at the soon-to-be-gone pharmaceutical plant. Who could argue with that?
Add to that, Encina was proposing to take plastics out of the waste stream under the banner of “circular recycling,” which claims to create a virtuous cycle by which plastic waste fuels the production of chemicals. In a world overrun with plastic waste—from our oceans to our own bodies—it almost sounded too good to be true.
Well, that’s because it was. And thankfully, local activists and concerned citizens weren’t fooled. From the very first open house, community members smelled foul play. First, there was the fact that the technology Encina described was completely untested and unproven. Despite the green-washed glow of terms like “advanced recycling,” “circular recycling,” or “chemical recycling,” these technologies are overwhelmingly unproven, toxic, and, in some cases, amount to little more than burning plastic for fuel. According to Encina’s plan, the proposed plant would produce highly noxious chemicals like benzene and xylene to sell on to their customers to make plastic. These are chemicals that can damage your respiratory, circulatory, and reproductive systems. These chemicals can drastically increase your risk of cancer, kidney disease, and even vision impairment.
On top of that, there was the inevitable increase in planet-warming carbon dioxide emissions, from the plant itself and from the trucks bringing the plastic in and, presumably, the byproducts out. The plan was to bring in over 100 trucks per day of post-consumer plastic to the site, potentially creating serious traffic issues in this small town along the river. In addition, there was the gas pipeline Encina would use to power the process of vaporizing the plastics—creating carbon dioxide and increasing the risk of methane leaks, which is an even more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
And all of this would be happening right next to the beloved and important Susquehanna River, which is one of the most flood-prone watersheds in the U.S. Flooding on its own can be devastating, taking lives, destroying homes, and costing millions to recover and rebuild. Add a petrochemical facility and communities also face polluted waterways, toxic spills, and emergency flaring. Along the Susquehanna, building a petrochemical facility would mean risking a key source of pride and drinking water—for Point Township and for millions of people across the Susquehanna River Valley.
So, while some community members saw green dollar signs in the potential job numbers, others saw the greenwashing on the wall. And they were right to be concerned. Looking across the rest of the industry, advanced recycling plants have terrible track records. Most such facilities never reach full capacity, never turn a profit, and never produce much more than more plastic, more emissions, and more toxic chemicals.
By November 2022, the Philadelphia-based Clean Air Council had filed an appeal against the plant’s designation as a “manufacturing” facility, which allowed it to avoid a slew of regulations. Pennsylvania is one of 20 states that passed industry-endorsed legislation classifying advanced recycling as “manufacturing” instead of “waste management” since the facilities ostensibly produce a product (though few ever do). However, since the plant in Point Township was going to be built in phases and the first phase included only the acceptance, sorting, and shipping out of plastic waste, Clean Air Council argued that Encina did not merit the classification.
Meanwhile, concerned citizens in Northumberland County organized themselves into Save Our Susquehanna—or SOS—and got to work. [you can link to our website, which is still up] They attended township and planning meetings, wrote and distributed petitions, knocked on doors and distributed yard signs, held public meetings, and lobbied their local officials and administrators against the plant.
"Save our Susquehanna was effective because the whole community came together, from all different backgrounds and perspectives, and people were willing to speak to their local elected officials and neighbors about their concerns from their point of view. Once people learned what was really planned, and what it would mean to our air and our river, they were against it. We had great support from national groups like Clean Air Council, Climate Reality Project, GAIA, and Beyond Plastics who were with us all the way, not just helping with legal aspects but also knocking on doors and drafting mailers. In the end, Encina's plan was just too risky and not built on a firm scientific or economic foundation. Everyone could see that."
For Encina’s part, they continued to avoid community questions and concerns, hiding behind claims of “proprietary technology” to evade legitimate questions about the health and environmental impacts of their operations. Their evasiveness, in fact, extended into their permit applications, which were denied or returned again and again, often for insufficient information.
On April 18, 2024, Encina finally gave up, announcing that it was abandoning its plans for Point Township. Instead, the company said it would focus on projects in other markets in the United States and abroad. While the press release did not give a specific reason for the withdrawal, it’s a safe bet that the community’s mobilization made it clear that the company was not welcome in Central Pennsylvania.
"The power of people standing up to protect their community is limitless, and that's what won the day here," said Alex Bomstein, executive director of Clean Air Council. "Encina's greenwashing scam is dead, but we need to stay vigilant for this type of fake recycling facility popping up in other communities."