Recycling solutions company to invest $11.5M in Westminster

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PreZero US, a recycling and waste solutions company based in Westminster, will have the capacity to process 40,000 tons of plastic material per year with the company’s plans to invest $11.5 million into a facility expansion.

“We are excited to be building our facility with the community of Westminster,” PreZero US CEO Hernan de la Vega said in a news release. “We have been operational since 2019, and this is only the beginning. We have made significant investments into the region and we are happy to provide stable, long-term employment opportunities for the surrounding community that will allow us to grow together.”

PreZero US provides end-market solutions to waste generators and collectors. The company’s facilities convert plastic and organic waste into usable raw materials and commodities.

The recyclables originate from material recovery facilities which collect residential and commercial waste, and the film is primarily sourced from retail businesses. The end products of the process are high-quality resins that are sold to manufacturers in an effort to develop a circular economy for materials that are typically sent to landfills, according to the release.

"PreZero US’s investment in Oconee County will make a lasting impact on our community,” Oconee County Council Chair John Elliott said in the release. “Their expansion of an additional 32 jobs for our residents is a commitment to their confidence in our workforce.”

The expansion is expected to be completed by fall 2023. The Coordinating Council for Economic Development awarded Oconee County a $100,000 Set-Aside grant for costs related to the project.

“PreZero US has been a great asset to South Carolina and our recycling industry,” Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey said in the release. “We congratulate and thank PreZero US on their latest investment. This type of commitment demonstrates their confidence in Oconee County and the Palmetto State.”