A.E.R.T., Cherokee Nation open Oklahoma recycling plant

Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Inc., a leading manufacturer of Green building products, announced that it has broken ground on a state-of-the art plastics recycling plant in Watts, Okla. A ceremony honoring the event was held both in the town of Watts and at the new plant site on Friday, March 14.

The new facility, funded and developed with support from the Cherokee Nation and the State of Oklahoma, will reclaim post-industrial plastic materials for use in the company’s building products. A.E.R.T. will retrofit the existing site, property where a large hog feed lot and finishing facility once operated, into a plant that will clean, process, analyze and reformulate polyethylene plastics.

Special guests at the groundbreaking ceremony included Watts Mayor Bob Jordan, Adair County Commissioner Haskell Kindle, state Rep. John Auffett, Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation Phil Tomlinson, state Sen. Jim Wilson and Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.

Tomlinson presented Joe Brooks, A.E.R.T.’s chief executive officer, with the Governor’s Award for the company’s major investment in the state’s growing economy and its commitment to a lasting partnership with the State of Oklahoma. The new facility will be designed to LEED standards and will be a national example of sustainable innovation and green reclamation.

“The Native American community has lived on this land for hundreds of years and left only a small footprint,” said Joe Brooks, A.E.R.T. chief executive officer. “That's what this factory is built to do. Preserve what part of nature we have and reuse what we can for a greater good.”

In addition to providing A.E.R.T. with low-cost raw materials in an environmentally friendly, carbon-footprint-reducing manner, the plant will also create jobs for the community.

“Jobs are the most important service we can provide our citizens, because by creating jobs in local communities like Watts, we can keep those communities strong. We know that Cherokee language and culture thrive in communities where economic opportunity is available,” said Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “We are proud to partner with A.E.R.T. and the state of Oklahoma to bring jobs to Adair County.”

For more information on A.E.R.T., call 866-729-2378. Additional information can also be found online at http://www.aertinc.com or http://www.moistureshield.com.

About Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (A.E.R.T.)

Since 1989, A.E.R.T. has pioneered the use of recycled polyethylene plastic in the manufacture of composite building materials. With its constantly evolving portfolio of patented and proprietary recycling technologies, A.E.R.T. has been widely recognized as a leader in resource conservation innovation and received the EPA Award for Environmental Excellence for its process of converting scrap plastic to composite outdoor decking. A.E.R.T. converts reclaimed plastic and wood fiber waste into quality outdoor decking systems, fence systems, and door and window components. The Company is the exclusive manufacturer of Weyerhaeuser ChoiceDek decking, which is available in multiple colors and is sold in all Lowe’s Home Improvement stores. See www.choicedek.com for more information. A.E.R.T.’s MoistureShield decking program is expanding and products are available in many parts of the U.S. now, with national distribution planned for 2008. See www.moistureshield.com for product information or to find a regional distributor or dealer. A.E.R.T. operates manufacturing facilities in Springdale and Lowell, with a raw materials facility in Junction, Texas and a state-of-the-art recycling facility under construction in Watts, Okla. This LEED certified recycling facility is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2009. For more information on the company, visit www.aertinc.com.