By Bryce Mayer, North Vernon Plain Dealer & Sun

bmayer@northvernon.com

A North Vernon industry is bucking the economic recession like few other firms. Hilex-Poly hired 21 employees earlier this month as it added a second line to its plastic bag and film recycling facility on North Madison Avenue.

The new equipment installed and other improvements made are estimated at $2 million.

"We are proud of this investment," said Stan Bikulege, Hilex Poly's CEO at a ceremony marking the plant's expansion last Thursday. "This benefits the community, environment and all who use these bags."

"This new line will open a lot of doors for Hilex," said Chris Dixon, who manages the recycling wing at the North Vernon complex. "This line will be used to recycle shrink wrap plastic, which will keep even more material out of the landfills."

The North Vernon complex is the world's largest plastic bag recycling facility and the expansion doubles its capacity to 20 million pounds per year. Over 30 million pounds have been recycled from bags into bags at the plant since it opened in 2005.

The plant currently employs 274 on two shifts and paid $13.1 million in wages, taxes and insurance benefits in 2008 as well as generating $2.17 million in commercial activity in the area during the same period.

"This is flagship plant for Hilex Poly," Bikulege noted. "We have a great group of employees here, a big reason why we were able to expand."

The facility, Bikulege said, takes the three R's of recycling - "reduce, reuse and recycle" - and adds two more - "research and redesign."

Hilex Poly deserves praise for the commitment it has made to North Vernon, Campbell said.

"Hilex Poly is good for the city and all of Jennings County," he said.

The EDC's Jackson expressed how impressed he is with the corporation's business acumen.

"To expand like this during such a deep recession is outstanding," he said. "This company is on the ball."

What Hilex Poly has done is lead the wave toward the future, Hill added.

"In a sense, this is the future now," he said. "Companies that are smart enough to invest in green operations like this are on the cutting edge. This is how we need to create jobs."

Hilex has placed 30,000 recycling bins in grocery stores across the country. Before then, plastic back recycling was often vied as cost prohibitive, Bikulege said.

"Now, through innovations in recovery technology and logistics, Hilex Poly has helped to transform this category of recycling into one of the most cost effective," he said.

With the new line, home plastic items such as towel, tissue and bottle overwraps, newspaper bags and dry cleaning bags can now be recycled.

"The expansion is a direct result of the tremendous growth of plastic bags and wraps being returned to participating retailers for recycling," said Mark Daniels, Hilex Poly vice president of Marketing and Environmental Affairs. "We are extraordinarily proud of our environmental initiatives that enhance our sustainability efforts, while expanding jobs within our country."

The old bags and other plastic materials are washed and then go through a heating process where they are broken down into pellets, which are then added at up to 90 percent with new polyethylene to manufacture new bags.

The original wing of the Hilex Poly plant is where bags are made from raw polyethylene pellets, which are shipped to the plant via railroad. Hilex Poly is the heaviest-volume customer for the shortline Madison Railroad.