LoRes-TV: EcoClean Burners Turns Plastic Into Power

Plastics not only clog up our landfills, but also our oceans. The Pacific Plastic Vortex is twice the size of Texas and consists entirely of plastic garbage. A company that recently located its headquarters and its first production and distribution center in Sharpsburg, Allegheny County, has developed technology that can help.

EcoClean Burners Inc. is making industrial burners that will use discarded plastic as fuel. Using technology developed in South Korea, pellets made from old soda bottles and other plastics that come from curbside pickups and aren't ideal for typical recycling, are fed into the burner's combustion chamber. A control panel monitors the the ignition, which heats liquid in a boiler. EcoClean's burners, which cost $20,000 apiece and are about the size of household ovens--create energy to fire up industrial boilers and are perfect for companies that use steam in their manufacturing processes.

The company plans to add nearly 50 jobs in the next couple years and use parts for its burners from local vendors.