FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Inside Indiana Business): The Indiana Economic Development Corp. is providing more insight into a United Kingdom-based e-waste recycling company’s planned $340 million investment in Fort Wayne.
Exurban USA says it will establish its first U.S. operations in the Allen County city and create up to 200 jobs by the end of 2026. The facility is expected to extract valuable metals such as copper, gold and silver from discarded electronic appliances, including mobile phones, computers and televisions.
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Plans for the project were first announced last month when the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission approved a purchase agreement for Exurban to acquire nearly 80 acres of land in the Adams Township Industrial Park for the plant.
Exurban co-founder Jean Paul Deco says the facility will be the world’s first zero-waste smelter refinery. The company says the plant will allow it to stop shipping e-waste to other countries or burying it in landfills.
“Our investment in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a major milestone for Exurban and makes an important contribution to meeting the environmental challenge of e-waste,” Stefan Boel, chairman of Exurban, said in written remarks. “This is just the start of a journey. Working with key supply partnerships from leading recycling companies, we share the vision to expand around the world in this fast-growing market.”
Exurban plans to begin construction on the facility in 2023 and take about two years to complete.
Governor Eric Holcomb and Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers met with Exurban executives last month in the U.K.
“When Sec. Chambers and I met with Exurban’s leadership, we were impressed with their global expertise in metals and knew a close partnership would allow us to help shape a sustainable world together,” Holcomb said.
The IEDC has offered Exurban up to $2.7 million in conditional tax credits and training grants, which the company will not be eligible to claim until Hoosier workers are hired and trained for the new jobs.
