But he told The Suit that growth in the recycling industry isn’t easy, because recycling is not as simple or economical as it should be in some areas. “The community has not been educated properly, and obviously some of the younger teenagers and elementary kids are, but the adults aren’t.”
With this in mind, Plastic Revolutions expands on the notion of single-stream recycling – putting waste in bins to be sent to a sorting facility – by investing in up-to-date equipment and offering free consultations and waste analysis for production plants. Waste purchased or donated from other companies is ground up, washed and re-melted to be made into a variety of products including corrugated pipe, dumpster lids and cable jacketing. According to Hagan, the company is now certified to sell processed plastic to auto companies and will be focusing more on that new area of revenue.
Many recyclers only take one item, but Plastic Revolutions will take any material for which there is a market, and they make a point to let other companies know what kind of waste their plants are producing. “Having that trust and accountability has gotten us a lot of business,” Hagan said. Today the company processes more than 36 million pounds of plastic scrap annually to be made into new products, and they plan on doubling their capacity this year.
Using his experience as a general contractor, Hagan purchased his own grinders and shredders and hired employees. After expanding from 10 employees running five days a week to 70 employees running 24 hours a day seven days a week, the company has managed to carve a stable niche within the market. As of now, they are trying to cut expenses as best they can and put a North Carolina Energy Department grant to use by reducing utility costs and keeping prices lower for customers.
They have a warehouse large enough to stockpile plastic while prices are low, enabling them to keep their prices competitive for customers. The company strives to be as competitive as possible and remains poised for continued success when the market improves, Hagan said.
One of his biggest accomplishments in the business has been running the company without a single lay-off in spite of the recession. “I can’t tell you how many employees have come up to me and really just thanked me for allowing them to work here,” Hagan said. “It’s a great feeling knowing you’re providing jobs, keeping people off the streets.”
www.plasticrevolutions.com
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