For nearly two years, the Freepoint plastics incinerator has been choking Hebron, Ohio and surrounding communities with toxic air pollution. Burning massive amounts of plastic trash and claiming it as recycling, the facility produced an alarming amount of hazardous wastes, including a highly contaminated low-grade oily substance called pyrolysis oil.

Since late 2024, the company has consistently failed to comply with air pollution laws. Most recently, their  emissions have been fund to include tiny particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. Exposures are linked to birth defects, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease,and other illnesses, posing a serious danger to the children and families in the surrounding community.

On May 28, 2026, the Freepoint notified the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency that it would suspend so-called “advanced recycling” operations at its facility in Licking County. This announcement came as the Ohio EPA had already issued five Notices of Violation and was actively pursuing enforcement orders to address ongoing and unresolved violations at the facility.

Cheryl Johncox, regional coordinator with People Over Petro Coalition, said, “This development is just the latest example of what we already know: that pyrolysis incineration is not a solution to our plastic trash crisis – it’s a risky investment that harms our neighbors, pollutes our air and water, and contributes little to the long-term economic growth that this region deserves.”