Chapter by Chapter: The Plastics Industry in Erie, PA
Three years ago, the Prischak family invested in a collaboration with the start-up of the International Recycling Group (IRG) recycling plant in Erie, PA. In our view, this will be a 3rd chapter for the Plastics Industry in Erie with the 1st chapter starting with the 2nd injection molding machine running in the US in Erie at Erie Resistor in 1935. Coincidentally Erie Resistor is the company our founding father, Joseph Prischak, got his start in the Plastics Industry, working there in the early 1950’s. The 2nd chapter includes the Plastics Engineering and Technology Degree at Penn State University, Erie my father helped start in 1985. And today IRG will help close the loop with a non-landfill solution, recycling plant. All here in Erie and part of Plastek’s history and culture. The Plastek Group cares for the environment and believes recycling is an important part of the plastics waste solution. While the US plastics recycling rate (9%) is low compared to paper (68%*), glass – soft drinks, beer, wine ( 40%*), and aluminum cans ( 50%*), those industries had many decades of a head start. With today’s global focus on plastics waste, we can reach or exceed their levels much sooner than they did. Sources: The US Recycling Rate | American Forest and Paper Association (afandpa.org), Glass Recycling Facts – Glass Packaging Institute (gpi.org), https://www.aluminum.org/Recycling
