A chemical company wants to recycle plastics in Columbia. Neighbors worry about the impact on air quality

By Jess Nocera | The Baltimore Banner | August 1, 2024

Read the full article by Jess Nocera (The Baltimore Banner)

"A Maryland-based chemical company with a history of environmental violations is planning to build a pilot plastics recycling plant within a mile of several residential neighborhoods in Columbia.

W.R. Grace & Co. — which became famous nationwide after a major water-pollution case in Woburn, Massachusetts, that led to the 1998 film “A Civil Action” — submitted an air permit application to house the manufacturing facility at its headquarters. The company said it is pioneering new efforts to reduce the amount of plastic waste by recycling it into “plastic precursors.” If successful, W.R. Grace says, the process will be better for air emissions and will keep more plastics out of oceans and landfills.

But residents are worried about breathing in air laced with dangerous contaminants and about the byproducts of the chemicals associated with plastics production — known as forever chemicals because they do not break down — getting into the water supply. When ingested, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances can lead to cancer, low birth rates, miscarriages and thyroid issues."