ForeverGreen Enterprises Inc., wants to build the plant in an industrial park in Butler, 30 miles northeast of Fort Wayne, company co-founder Randy Cole said Tuesday. The plant would be the 3-year-old company's first and be operating by next year, he said.

The Clifton, N.J.-based company recycles hazardous waste into hydrogen, a fuel used by many industrial firms. ForeverGreen uses chemical reactions to break down paints, oils and other waste into basic elements, including hydrogen, Cole said.

Steel mills, fertilizer makers, vegetable oil processors and other types of industrial companies use hydrogen fuel and could become customers of the plant, Cole, a native of Steuben County, said. Hydrogen fuel cells also can be used to power cars.

ForeverGreen's process also eliminates hazardous materials, Cole said. The plant will not create ash, smoke or other pollutants, he said. Industrial companies and county solid waste districts will pay ForeverGreen to dispose of their waste.

The Northeast Indiana Solid Waste District recycles some of the paint and used oil it collects from households, but part of the waste winds up in landfills, Executive Director Steven Christman said.

ForeverGreen's plant offers a better solution for waste disposal that will put the region on the cutting edge of the developing hydrogen industry, he said.

‘‘It's a new age, it's a new technology and it helps keep northeast Indiana on the forefront of it,'' Christman said.