Plastic container manufacturer Graham Packaging Co. plans to close its Warren County plant in September 2016.
A global maker of plastic containers is leaving Warren County.
Graham Packaging Co.'s 71 employees in Belvidere will lose their jobs when the facility at Fifth and Knowlton streets closes Sept. 26, according to a notice from the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
"It's a major hit for Belvidere. It's another business leaving town," lamented Mayor Joseph Kennedy.
Graham Packaging is based near Lancaster, Pa. The company has gone through other changes recently, including the planned closing of a Baltimore plant in June where 79 employees worked, according to PennLive.com.
A Graham spokesman did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday.
Kennedy said the company recently alerted the town about the closing and indicated that the office is relocating to the South. Workers may be offered jobs in Pennsylvania, he said.
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Local officials have reached out to other area manufacturers to see if they may be interested in hiring those who are losing their jobs, Kennedy said.
Belvidere also lost chemical producer BASF when the company shut down its local facility in 2010.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.