Republic Services Opens Polymer Center, First in a Planned Network
New facility will sort HDPE and PP containers into bales by color and type, and shred and hot-wash PET.
Republic Services Inc. announced the opening of its Polymer Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, which the company describes as a first-of-its-kind facility in North America. The Polymer Center is expected to produce more than 100 million pounds of recycled plastic each year for use in sustainable packaging and other applications.
A Tomra machine sorts postconsumer plastic waste.Photo Credit: Republic Services
The Polymer Center will process plastic bottles, jugs and containers collected from homes and businesses. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) will be diverted to a process that includes optical scanning, shredding and cleaning in caustic wash. The resulting hot-washed PET flake is suitable for remanufacturing into a new beverage bottle. HDPE and PP will follow a second path, which includes a series of optical and medium-infrared scanners. The sorted plastics will be separated by color and type.
Republic expects that the center will enable increased circularity by returning plastic to packaging applications, rather than downcycling to fiber-based products. According to the company, plastic bottles will be able to be made into new bottles six to seven times.
“The Republic Services Polymer Center will supply high-quality, domestically sourced recycled plastic to advance a critical need for more sustainable packaging,” says Jon Vander Ark, president and chief executive officer at Republic Services. “As a leader in the environmental services industry, it’s our responsibility to challenge every truckload of material we collect. The Polymer Center is another example of our commitment to developing solutions that promote greater circularity and help customers achieve their sustainability goals.”
The Coca-Cola Company, one of the first customers of the Las Vegas Polymer Center, has committed to use at least 50% recycled material in its packaging by 2030. The Polymer Center is scheduled to supply rPET to Coca-Cola, beginning in January 2024.
Plans for a nationwide network of Polymer Centers are underway, with the second facility expected to open in Indianapolis in late 2024.
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