Statement: Macon-Bibb imposes serious setback to proposed plastic-to-fuel facility

Mayor withdraws support for pending Brightmark project

Environment Georgia

MACON – Mayor Lester Miller of Macon-Bibb County withdrew his support Monday for Brightmark’s proposal to build the world’s largest plastics-to-fuel facility in South Macon. 

“I believe it is in the best interest of the people of Macon-Bibb County that we withdraw our support,” Mayor Miller wrote in brief a letter to the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority. “We cannot ignore the long-term safety concerns of this unproven process that have been raised in the last several weeks.”

Plastics-to-fuel plants are dangerous. The conversion process involves toxic substances like hydrogen cyanide, benzene, formaldehyde, dioxins, and many more—substances that pollute our air, our water and our bodies and are found in the emissions, waste byproducts, and end products of plastics-to-fuel facilities. Furthermore, though termed “chemical recycling” by the plastics and fossil fuel industries, the process does not live up to its name; of the 37 facilities proposed in the U.S. over the last two decades, none have been proven to successfully make new plastic products on a commercial scale.

Jessica WMahl, Environment Georgia clean energy associate, issued the following statement on the announcement:

“Environment Georgia applauds the decision by Mayor Miller to reject Brightmark’s proposal and to prioritize a healthy, sustainable future for Macon. This was the right decision for the health and wellbeing of Macon residents and for the planet. No community deserves to breathe polluted air and drink polluted water. And no company should be propping up an untested technology that endangers public health and perpetuates the global climate and plastic pollution crises.”