Mar 15 2008
Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc., a leading manufacturer of Green building products, will break ground today on a state-of-the art plastics recycling plant in Watts, Okla.
A.E.R.T.’s new facility, funded and developed with support from the Cherokee Nation and the State of Oklahoma, will reclaim post-consumer and post-industrial plastic materials for use in the company’s building products. Company officials will host a ground breaking ceremony at the Watts High School Cafeteria at 1:30 p.m. The official ground breaking will occur at the plant site following the ceremony. Honored guests will include Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, as well as officials from the State of Oklahoma.
A.E.R.T. plans to retrofit the existing site, property where a large hog feed lot and finishing facility once operated, into a plant designed to clean, process, analyze and reformulate polyethylene plastics. The new facility will be designed for LEED compliance and will be a national example of green redemption while improving the carbon footprint for all parties involved.
“The Native American community has lived in this country and on this land for hundreds of years and has left only a small footprint,” said Joe Brooks, A.E.R.T. chief executive officer. “That's what this factory is built to do. Preserve what part of nature we have and reuse what we can for a greater good.”
In addition to providing A.E.R.T. with low-cost raw materials in an environmentally friendly manner, the plant will also create jobs for the community.
“Jobs are the most important service we can provide our citizens, because by creating jobs in local communities like Watts, we can keep those communities strong. We know that Cherokee language and culture thrive in communities where economic opportunity is available,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “We are proud to partner with A.E.R.T. and the state of Oklahoma to bring jobs to Adair County.”