photo credit: Anna Zou
This building at 1200 Valley House Drive in Rohnert Park is the proposed site of a 
pyrolysis reactor and condenser, a "Continuous Microwave Assisted Pyrolysis (CMAP) plastic chemical recycling unit," according to the Bay Area Air District's draft engineering evaluation.

The public comment period on a controversial proposed plastic recycling plant in SOMO Village in Rohnert Park has been extended until October 3. 

The plastic recycling plant, operated by the company Resynergi, is designed to use technology known as pyrolysis. Resynergi’s plant would be a first-of-its-kind reactor that uses microwaves to break down plastic into oil that can be used to make new plastic.

However, Rohnert Park residents are concerned about the potential health impacts of the plant. 

Stephanie Fimbres lives in the W Section of Rohnert Park with her husband and 2-year-old son, approximately 2000 feet away from the proposed pyrolysis reactor.

She said she wasn’t aware of the project until a few weeks ago when her brother-in-law found a Reddit thread about Resynergi’s proposed development, with parents of nearby Credo High School students raising concern.

 ”It was just a very slow trickle of word of mouth, and then from there we all just kind of went into digging,” Fimbres told KRCB News.

Fimbres said after she learned a pyrolysis reactor can emit various toxins like benzene, cadmium, and arsenic, she started to worry about the effects of the hazardous chemicals and waste the pyrolysis reactor emits, which children are more susceptible to.

“ I don't wanna fear that if I take my son outside…I mean, we already have fires in our area,” Fimbres said. “So the air quality is already at risk there. And so I'm not trying to harm his health in any other way.” 

Fimbres is one of many concerned community members. An Instagram page called Stop Resynergi Rohnert Park alleges over 14 schools are located within a 3-mile radius of the pyrolysis plant.

Another flyer circulating from Willow Glen residents of Rohnert Park claims the city administration sidestepped public hearings to approve the project in secret. 

At Rohnert Park’s August 12 city council meeting, dozens of surrounding residents made public comments about their qualms. 

(Audio montage of public comment, names spelled phonetically, at 8/12/25 Rohnert Park City Council meeting.) "My name is Michael Paccetti, and I'd like to address my concerns regarding Resynergi....My name's Molly Rubart and I'm here to share my concern for my community's health, safety, and property values...My name's Mike Bodily, I'm also a resident of M section, I would also like to formally comment on the proposed pyrolysis operation located...audio fade out."

Dr. Veena Singla, an environmental health researcher at University of California San Francisco, said along with toxic chemicals released by the pyrolysis reactor, some of the other risks are fires, explosions, and microplastic particles.

Although the Bay Area Air District indicates Resynergi’s draft engineering evaluation is expected to comply with all applicable air quality-related regulations, Singla said there’s lots of things that aren’t being taken into consideration. 

“ The risk assessment or human risk analysis, it only considers one chemical at a time," Singla said. "But that's not what happens in real life. The multiple chemicals together can present greater risks than any one of the chemicals alone.”

Brian Bauer, the CEO of Resynergi, said the public’s strong reaction is a result of misinformation.

“Those levels of cadmium and arsenic are not actually measured," Bauer said. "Because we're in the EPA category of incineration, it's assumed that we will be putting that out because incinerators in general can do that. The reality is we're not doing that.”

Bauer also said the chemical output of his company’s pyrolysis reactor is being exaggerated. 

“You're getting more types of bad chemicals coming out of a passenger car than you have out of our entire system,” Bauer said. 

Dr. Singla asserted even if everything was being done perfectly, regulations still allow for some health risks.

“ California has identified that some pollutants omitted by the facility have no safe level of exposure,' Singla said. "So that means that any level of exposure to the chemical carries some risks of adverse health impacts."

At a special meeting called by the Credo High school board on August 11, Bay Area Air District staff got an earful from the public. As a result, the agency said, it extended the public comment period by 45 days.

"The Bay Area Air District appreciates the Credo High School Board of Directors for hosting a special meeting to discuss the Resynergi permit application and public requests for more time to provide feedback," said Air District spokesperson Kristine Roselius. "We value the community’s input and, in response to these comments, have extended the public comment period for Permit Application #704470...we are committed to hearing from the community about this proposed project."

Rohnert Park residents like Fimbres say they hope there’s still room for regulators to consider the impacts of Resynergi’s plan.  

“ So maybe the more they dig into what they're actually doing over there, they will have some stronger restrictions on them or possibly force them to move their operations to an area that's not so densely packed with residents,” Fimbres said. 

The air district said it will review all public comments after October 3 and decide whether to issue Resynergi a permit to build and operate the plant.