Resynergi to Leave California Amid Local Opposition

On September 26, Resynergi, a promising plastic recycling startup in Sonoma County, announced plans to relocate its business out of California due to strong opposition from local residents, a decision that has attracted widespread attention.

The Resynergi factory, located in SOMO Village in Ronette Park, uses a pyrolysis process to recycle plastics, aiming to address the issue of plastic waste that could potentially end up in landfills. Previously, the company was seeking permits to expand the operational scale of its facilities within this new mixed-use development project in SOMO Village.

In recent months, however, community members have expressed significant concerns about the facility. In early August, an online petition against the facility was quickly launched, gathering over 5,000 signatures in a short period of time. Residents have also frequently appeared at public meetings to express their strong dissatisfaction. What residents find most unacceptable is that the facility is only a few hundred feet away from a high school.

Despite Resynergi officials describing their work as an innovative process that claims to break down and recycle plastics with minimal toxic byproducts, critics are not convinced. They argue that the technology is not new, and the facility is essentially a renamed incinerator. Jane Williams, executive director of the California Communities Against Toxics, stated bluntly: "This is not just an incinerator; it actually has explosive components in the facility. It is shocking to place such a facility next to a school, just a few hundred feet away."

The opposing organization not only voiced its concerns in public opinion but also filed a lawsuit against Resynergi regarding licensing issues, claiming that the company's recycling operations violate the Clean Air Act.

Meanwhile, air bureau officials issued three violation notices to Resynergi last month due to unlicensed operations at three different locations in Sonoma County, constituting illegal business activities. This series of issues has further intensified the tensions between the residents and the company.

Faced with strong opposition and numerous controversies from residents, Resynergi CEO Brian Bauer announced on Thursday that the company would move its operations out of state. He stated, "We will move our operations out of state, which means we can accelerate our growth. We plan to operate in over 200 locations across North America, which is the next step in our accelerated growth."

Bauer denied the residents' concerns about safety, stating that the facility would not pose any health or safety risks to community members. However, he also acknowledged that public resistance played a significant role in the company's decision to relocate. Regarding the selection of a new location, Bauer did not disclose the exact site, only mentioning that the new location would be in an industrial area capable of providing the necessary scale and infrastructure to meet the urgent and growing demand for plastic recycling.

It is worth noting that Ball has not explicitly ruled out the possibility of conducting business in California in the future. He reflected, "We can definitely educate the community better than we did beforehand. We thought they would research it and look at the [Bay Area Air Quality Management District] reports, which we thought would be enough for their education, but evidently it was not."

Despite Resynergi having announced plans to relocate, opposition voices have not subsided. Jane Williams stated that she has not ended her campaign against the facility. She pointed out, "They haven't left town yet, they haven't withdrawn their air permit application, they haven't applied for a solid waste facility permit, and they have been operating illegally at three different locations in Sonoma County for years."

Williams also plans to continue pushing regulators to hold companies accountable and does not rule out continuing to file lawsuits. She emphasized, "The regulators overseeing such facilities — these incinerators in California — need to follow through, because if they don't, it sends a very clear message that you can build and operate industrial equipment in California without any consequences."

The relocation event of Resynergi not only reflects the conflicts between the company and the local community during its development process but also challenges the regulatory agencies' ability and effectiveness. In the future, whether Resynergi can successfully conduct business at the new location and how California regulatory agencies will respond to such issues are both worthy of continuous attention.