US-based recycling firm PureCycle Technologies has begun construction works on a plastic waste purification facility in Augusta, Georgia, US.

The facility is located in Augusta Corporate Park and covers a 200-acre area.

Its development was announced in July last year. 

The plant will convert Number Five plastic waste into a sustainable material that can be used for manufacturing yoghurt cups, cosmetics, plastic containers and car parts.

The facility will support up to eight purification lines, with a combined production capacity of around one billion pounds of like-new recycled plastic a year.

PureCycle CEO Mike Otworth said: “This is an exciting time for PureCycle as we expand our operations into the Southeast and bring our versatile, recycled plastic to the region.

“Our second facility, when completed, will transform Number Five plastic waste – one of the most commonly used and least recycled plastics in the world – into an ultra-pure material that can be used to make consumer products, ultimately helping reduce our reliance on single-use plastics that contaminate our oceans and waterways.”

The site will be PureCycle’s second plastic waste purification facility in Augusta.

The company expects to complete construction of the two purification lines in the fourth quarter of next year.

These lines will be capable of producing 260 million pounds of ‘like-new’ recycling resin a year.

Augusta City Mayor Hardie Davis Jr said: “PureCycle has learned what we already know here in Augusta; that we are a robust community perfectly positioned for access to major sea- and airports with a skilled workforce that rivals any major city.

“We welcome PureCycle to the Garden City and look forward to not only adding jobs and growing our economy but advancing the overall mission to tackle plastic waste.”

The start of construction comes after PureCycle raised $250m from long-term shareholders and new investors in a recent funding round.