WILMINGTON — The new TimberTech Recycling Plant here is a huge step toward fulfilling The AZEK Company’s vision of taking garbage and turning it into beautiful, sustainable building materials, said the CEO of AZEK. TimberTech is an AZEK product brand.
A ribbon-cutting was held Tuesday at the 100,000-square-foot building that underwent major renovations for its new use.
Jesse Singh, the AZEK chief executive officer, said company officials think the plant is the most advanced recycling facility in the United States, and later after guests completed tours no one was questioning the belief.
The AZEK Company now has two facilities in Wilmington. The first facility is a large plant on Prairie Avenue where composite-type decking products are manufactured.
Accelerating the use of recycled materials is part of the company’s vision, Singh told a crowd assembled outdoors in a tent near the TimberTech Recycling Plant entrance.
“We view it [the increased use of recyclables] as a tremendous opportunity to not only benefit the environment but make us more competitive as we compete on a global stage,” he said.
The CEO said that 18 months ago the company started increasing the amount of recycled materials it used. As they got into it, it became apparent they needed to “convert, manufacture and process” their own recycled materials, he added.
The goal, said Singh, is to significantly increase over the next few years the amount of garbage AZEK recycles. When the TimberTech Recycling Plant in Wilmington is fully operational, it will have the ability to recycle 100 million pounds of garbage annually.
Currently, 28 people work at the recycling plant which is adjacent to the Wilmington Air Park. At full capacity, upwards of 40 people are anticipated to be employed there.
AZEK building products, which are engineered to outlast wood and be low maintenance, are now becoming “greener” in environmental impact, company officials said.
Singh said more than 80 percent of decks being built are still being built out of wood. Thus he sees a significant growth potential over the next 10 to 20 years for composite-type products as people continue to recognize the sustainability of these products over wood.
AZEK officials would like the company to not only be thought of as a deck company, but to extend its scope and be an exterior building products company.
Clinton County Commissioners President Brenda K. Woods spoke at the recycling plant’s ceremonial opening, calling it a “marvelous new beginning in Wilmington and Clinton County.”
She praised TimberTech as a corporate citizen, noting for one thing that a new castle playground that’s scheduled for construction in May in Wilmington will include many products made at the local TimberTech facility.
Woods also said U.S. communities that have recycling programs “need good domestic markets” for plastic material.
The TimberTech Recycling Plant here processes polyethylene-type plastic, such as shampoo bottles, milk jugs, laundry detergent bottles and plastic grocery bags.
Clinton County Commissioner Kerry R. Steed attended the event and on Wednesday said, “The AZEK Company and TimberTech, under the visionary leadership of Jesse Singh, are going against the grain and creating a state-of-the-art recycling center that puts the rest of the composite decking industry on notice. Innovation and sustainability have found a home in Wilmington, Ohio.”
He added that based upon AZEK’s and TimberTech’s track record, he is confident the company “will continue to be a leader in the building products industry and a valuable community partner.”
The AZEK Company LLC is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company operates facilities in Wilmington, Ohio and Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The company’s products are marketed under several brands, including AZEK and TimberTech for residential building materials, Scranton Products for commercial building materials, and Vycom for industrial building materials.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
