ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — The Athens County Port Authority board has approved a lease with a Canadian plastics company to begin operations in an industrial building just outside The Plains.
Toronto-based CCC Plastics plans to manufacture extruded plastic pellets at the site. This will be the company’s first U.S. operation.
The company’s intentions to locate in Athens County drew opposition from many residents, who raised concerns about the health and safety and environmental risks associated with plastics.
Mollie Fitzgerald, executive director of the Athens County Economic Development Council, said the lease includes a section on environmental stewardship, but she is not at liberty to discuss this and other details until CCC signs the lease.
A fact sheet on the Port Authority’s website says the company will not be synthesizing plastics at the site, but instead will blend resins with pigments and additives to create the pellets. The pellets will be sold to other companies to make plastic products.
None of the substances CCC will use at the site are categorized as carcinogens by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Toxicology Program or the International Agency...