Community members fear the future of their homes as developers proceed with constructing controversial facility: 'We should be cautious'

A chemical company has filed an application to build a plastic recycling facility, but environmental advocates fear the project will release cancer-linked pollution and contaminants into the surrounding communities in Texas.

What's happening?

As the Longview News-Journal detailed, Eastman Chemical Co. submitted its application for a $1.2 billion expansion of the Longview-area facility in August, asking the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to allow the company to release around an extra 114 tons of air pollution annually, including 53 tons of volatile organic compounds.

The plant would turn an estimated 110,000 tons of plastic waste into recycled products, and it would break down the plastics with the company's proprietary "methanolysis" process.

In the application, Eastman Chemical revealed it would use scrubbing systems to remove and filter harmful contaminants, but environmentalists worry that won't be enough to protect the public.

"The problem with facilities like Eastman's is they constantly leak," Sierra Club National Clean Air Team Chair Jane Williams told the News-Journal. "It's not what comes out of the smoke stacks, it's what comes out from all those leaks all the time."

"What you see in the application summary is really just one piece of the puzzle," added Environmental Integrity Project researcher Alexandra Shaykevich. "It doesn't capture any unpermitted emissions that a plant releases during so-called 'emission events.'"

Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?

Why is this important?

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are connected to an array of health complications, including respiratory irritation, organ damage, and cancer, per the American Lung Association.

Plastic recycling isn't the only potential source of VOC exposure. Cleaning supplies, cosmetics, and pesticides are among the everyday items that may contain the toxic compound. However, Eastman Chemical's proposal and the ensuing backlash highlight the growing problem of what the world should do with the 440-plus million tons of plastic waste produced annually.

In 2022, Greenpeace went so far as to call plastic recycling a "dead-end street," as most items can't even be recycled. More than 99% of plastics are also derived from polluting dirty fuels.

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Eastman Chemical's proposal further spotlights how recycling programs may not always be as clean as they seem. Critics may also argue the recycling expansion is a form of greenwashing, as large petrochemical plants like the one in Longview spew vast amounts of toxic pollution.

The News-Journal reported that Eastman's existing Longview plant released 700 pounds of "highly carcinogenic" ethylene oxide and 40,000 pounds of pollution during emission events in 2024, according to a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality database.

What can be done about this?

For its part, Eastman says its molecular recycling program — which received up to a $375 million investment from the U.S. Department of Energy — will be a game-changer in the quest to clean up a polluted planet.

"Our innovative molecular recycling project is part of Eastman's ongoing efforts to help solve the world's plastic waste problem without creating new environmental problems, and no emissions from this facility are expected to pose any risk to surrounding communities," spokesperson Kristin Parker told the News-Journal.

However, Shaykevich countered that the plastic recycling industry depends on a continued influx of material — an act that props up oil and gas giants known for their polluting ways.

"We should be cautious," Shaykevich said. "They want to convince folks that this is something that isn't bad for the environment, and it's really just a lifeline to keep producing plastics and consuming oil and gas."

Using your purchasing power to support plastic-free brands whenever possible is a powerful way to send a message to companies that they'll be rewarded for phasing out the material.