Advanced Drainage Systems hosts Groundbreaking for $30 Million World-Class Recycling Facility Expansion in Cordele
CORDELE, Ga. – Big changes are coming to the City of Cordele. Only this time, it’s for the environment.
One of North America’s largest plastic recycling companies is making an even bigger impact in South Georgia. ADS, Advanced Drainage Systems Inc., celebrated the groundbreaking of a major expansion to its recycling facility in Cordele.
For ADS, the mission is clear: protecting the world’s most precious resource – water. By recycling plastic into the high-quality pipe plants, the company helps manage stormwater efficiently.
With this expansion, ADS is not just growing its operations – it’s creating a lasting impact for the environment and the people of Cordele who call this community a home.
“We needed to have more material available in the southeast for our southeastern plants, which is our fastest growing region. And, so, we knew we needed this capacity. We had an existing operation, a very high performing safe, existing operation here in Cordele. Combined with its location and just the high quality of our workforce, the leadership of our local team, the attractiveness of this area for our kind of operations really led us to make a bigger investment here in Cordele, Georgia,” said Scott Barbour, ADS President & CEO.
The 30 million dollar expansion will increase the facility’s total size to 117,000 square feet, enhancing its ability to handle and process plastics with advanced technology.
In addition to boosting operational efficiency, the project will create new job opportunities for local residents.
“This facility will grow by almost five times. Introducing the latest equipment and technology to recycled plastics for use in our products. Not only in the sorting and the grinding of the materials, but also the controls that make those machines operate more efficiently and more safely. So, I think there’s just a lot of additional capabilities we’ll have at this facility in addition to the increased capacity,” said Barbour.
For over 20 years, ads has been committed to Cordele, providing jobs and support for the community.
This expansion is more than an investment into a cleaner community – but a step toward a stronger community, creating new opportunities and vital resources that will make a lasting impact on Cordele.
“We have a great team of people that are very involved in the community. We’re going to add to that team the 50 jobs that will go along with this additional equipment here. And, I think these will be good paying, high skilled jobs that we will add here. When we make investments like this, an ecosystem also revolves around us of suppliers, logistics, and other services that we would need in the community. So, I have every confidence that’s going to happen here in Cordele and we’re super proud to make this investment,” said Barbour.
De’Andra Jacobs reporting.
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