Liberal Moms Attack Resynergi for Globally Reducing Plastic Waste
Rohnert Park mothers claim the emerging modular technology will harm their health while disregarding the destruction of BIPOC countries overburdened by plastic waste.
Rohnert Park, California mothers who reside near Credo High School claim Resynergi’s emerging modular technology for global plastic reduction will harm their health. While completely disregarding the destruction of BIPOC countries overburdened by plastic waste, the complainants are accustomed to living with privilege.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to interview Resynergi CEO Brian Bauer, his staff, and Rohnert Park residents. I will be sharing all viewpoints, along with facts, in an article to be published in the coming week.
Per yesterday’s article in North Bay Business Journal:
A plastic recycler in Rohnert Park is hosting an open house Wednesday amid community concerns about its efforts to bring a production-level processing facility to Sonoma County.
Resynergi LLC has been adapting a University of Minnesota professor’s continuous microwave-assisted pyrolysis technology for commercial use since 2015. The process uses microwave radiation to heat biomass or waste materials
A group of residents who live around the Rohnert Park Resynergi facility and parents of students who attend nearby schools are mounting an effort to block the company’s air-quality permit for the new facility over concerns about pollution and fire.
Per a February 20, 2025 in Recycling Today:
Resynergi secures $18M Series B funding for plastic recycling technology
Resynergi, a developer of modular advanced plastic recycling technology headquartered in Rohnert Park, California, has announced the raise of $18 million in Series B extension funding led by Taranis, the investment and asset management company of Perenco Group.
“Sustainability goals and extended producer responsibility laws are fueling a surge in demand for efficient and reliable plastic recycling solutions,” Resynergi CEO Brian Bauer says. “We’re fortunate to have mission-aligned partners like Taranis, Lummus Technology, Transitions First and a committed bench of existing investors that recognize the market opportunity in front of us. We’re committed to turn on the first of many commercial sites while enhancing the value chain we’ve created to divert plastic from our landfills and oceans and convert it back into its molecular building blocks for reuse. Together, we’re reducing the strain on our environment and helping to mitigate the global plastic crisis."
Resynergi says Taranis is known for backing cutting-edge technologies and is making a significant commitment to Resynergi’s vision for a more circular and low-carbon future. The company says Taranis’ investment will empower it to expand operations for its first commercial-scale site, positioning the company to play a key role in addressing what it claims is an estimated 70 percent global growth in plastic scrap by 2050.
Homeowners of WillowGlen, Somo Village and associates created a petition to halt permitting the plastic pyrolysis facility. The petition currently has 2,560 signatures.
The median sale price of WillowGlen homes is $777,500.
My late mother, the former Finance Director for the City of Rohnert Park, was an immigrant from Rangoon, Burma (Myanmar).
Per Investigative Journalism for Europe:
European and North American plastic waste is being dumped in low-income communities in Myanmar, one of the world’s most repressive states, contributing to the poisoning of the environment and endangering lives and livelihoods.
International rules are meant to restrict plastic waste exports. But an opaque global supply chain and haphazard regulatory system is easy to game by companies wanting to get rid of plastic that cannot be recycled, and offload it on countries thousands of miles away, the investigation found.
Until 2018, most of the world’s plastic waste was sent to China. Then Beijing banned plastic waste imports and massive flows were diverted to Southeast Asia. After public protests, some of the region’s biggest importers are now closing their doors, with Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam all moving to gradually block plastic waste imports.
But Thailand’s ban will have a major loophole — it will not restrict the large flows of plastic waste being sent to the country for transit to Myanmar.
People in Myanmar have little ability to protest. In the aftermath of a military coup in 2021, all public dissent has been quashed. Established environmentalists have been forced into silence. And corruption is running rampant — it’s easier than ever to bring foreign trash into the country over the porous border with Thailand.
Ultimately, I am genuinely concerned for the safety of all. My frustration is that while Sonoma County’s white liberals claim to care about marginalized communities, that could not be further from the truth. I would like to better understand why local democrats are okay with poisoning the environment and endangering lives of the people of Myanmar by exporting their plastic to the ghetto.
Great article Adina! After viewing and touring their facility, I think it's a very sound operation with virtually no pollution. Many of the people on the tour seem to want a 100% guarantee that the operation is perfect! Nothing is perfect!
You lose credibility when you group everyone together as a monolith. It’s not liberal moms that have questions about this company and a company isn’t being attacked. The people who live and work near the area have questions about what is going to be introduced into their environment. You didn’t ask any challenging questions, you toured a facility and then wrote an article bringing up Myanmar and the cost of homes in Sonoma County. The issue is potential emissions from the plastic pyrolysis process need to be carefully managed. While pyrolysis can offer a way to reduce plastic waste in landfills, it also presents significant environmental concerns, particularly regarding emissions and energy consumption. Pyrolysis, a process that breaks down plastic using heat in the absence of oxygen, produces valuable products like oil, gas, and char, but it also releases harmful gases and requires substantial energy inputs. Research shows that pyrolysis can release harmful chemicals like benzene and dioxin. Are they 100% solar or are they going to be extremely energy dependent? Do you know what benzene or dioxin are? Do you know that benzene is a known highly-flammable carcinogen? It can be released into the environment through industrial processes and can contaminate air, water, soil. Imagine the environmental impact on the vineyards here or the farms. Dioxins can contaminate the food chain and cause reproductive and developmental problems. Breastfed babies are particularly at risk and vulnerable due to the potential impacts on development.