Republic Services opens Las Vegas “Polymer Center” to fill “urgent gap” in recyclate supplies

07 Dec 2023 --- Republic Services has opened a “Polymer Center” in Las Vegas, US, a “first-of-its-kind facility,” which it says will produce over 100 million pounds (453 million kilograms) of recycled plastics each year for use in packaging and other applications.

“The Republic Services Polymer Center will supply high-quality, domestically sourced recycled plastic to advance a critical need for more sustainable packaging,” says president and chief executive officer Jon Vander Ark. 

“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 Polymer Center will process plastic bottles, jugs and containers collected from homes and businesses to produce rPET flakes and color-sorted HDPE and PP. 

“Until now, the fate of a recycled plastic bottle in the US wasn’t a new plastic bottle. Instead, it was generally downcycled into fiber for use in carpet or clothing — material that has few options for further recycling,” states the company. 

Extending life cycles
The Polymer Center expects to extend the lifecycle of plastic packaging significantly and says it will help turn plastic bottles into new bottles six to seven times.

As brands commit to using more recycled content in their packaging and more states mandate the use of recycled plastic, supply is struggling to meet the growing demand. 

By 2030, demand for rPET in the US is expected to total 5 billion pounds, according to Republic Services, while the supply — based on current processes — will only reach around 2.5 billion pounds. “The Polymer Center can help companies fill this urgent gap now.”

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 first 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.

Edited by Louis Gore-Langton