Chemical recycler Freepoint Eco-Systems has confirmed it is suspending operations at its Hebron facility in Ohio.
The plant, which opened in 2024 and has a plastics waste processing capacity of 180 million pounds (81,600 tonnes) per year, reclaimed waste plastics destined for landfill or incineration and upcycled it into a hydrocarbon-rich liquid for new products.
However, it has come under fire from environmental groups, including Moms Clean Air Force, and from local residents concerned about pollution.
In a statement shared with Eco-plastics in Packaging, a spokesperson said: “Freepoint Eco-Systems is suspending operations at the Hebron, Ohio facility.
“The site is undergoing a controlled transition to a care-and-maintenance state while strategic options for the facility are evaluated.
“Our priorities throughout this process are safety, environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, and support for affected employees and contractors.”
Pyrolysis oil concerns
The latest development comes on the back of a notification issued to Freepoint by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on 28 April, warning that the plant was in danger of losing its regulatory status.
Freepoint had previously emailed the Ohio EPA on 23 April, stating that the weight of pyrolysis oil produced and marketed at the plant was less than 70 per cent of the weight of plastics processed for the third and fourth quarters of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026.
Federal regulations require a 70 per cent conversion threshold to qualify as a recycling operation.
The Ohio EPA gave Freepoint 30 days to make changes and address a handful of violations outlined in the letter.
Moms Clean Air ForceOhio field organiser Amanda Rowoldt, who last year captured footage showing plumes of black smoke being released from the factory in Licking County, said the suspension of operations was the “only reasonable response to Freepoint’s repeated and ongoing violations”.
‘Burning plastics waste’
“Suspending operations will ensure an end to the harmful pollution caused by burning plastics waste, bringing long-overdue relief to nearby families,” she said.
Rowoldt also insisted that Freepoint’s record in Ohio should “serve as a clear warning to communities like Eloy, Arizona, where the company is pursuing a giant plastics incinerator in the mid of an underserved and overburdened community”.
Cat Adams, petrochemicals organiser for Buckeye Environmental Network described the shutdown as a “win for community members, who have been sounding the alarm about this facility since it first began burning plastics and emitting black smoke”.
“Now, it is critical that Freepoint does the work to actively engage impacted community members in the shutdown process and remediate any environmental harms it caused.”
Last March, Freepoint Eco-Systems secured a $50 million non-recourse finance facility for the Hebron plant.
