Blue Polymers expands food-grade rPET production in California

USA – Blue Polymers, a joint venture between Republic Services and Ravago, has begun producing food-grade recycled PET (rPET) pellets at a newly acquired facility in Southern California. 

The acquisition, finalized on August 1, transitions the site from Evergreen Recycling to Blue Polymers, enabling direct pellet production for packaging manufacturers. 

“We can now sell pellets to folks that create packaging,” said Pete Keller, Republic Services’ vice president of recycling and sustainability.

The Southern California facility, previously a bale-to-pellet operation, now processes flake from Republic’s Las Vegas polymer center into FDA-approved rPET pellets, primarily for beverage bottles. 

This move supports California’s AB 793 mandate, requiring 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content in plastic beverage containers by 2025 and 50% by 2030. 

Keller noted the strategic advantage of the facility’s location, citing strong market demand and supportive public policy in California.

Republic Services has been expanding its recycling infrastructure to meet rising U.S. demand for recycled plastics, with interest from companies like Coca-Cola and Circularix. 

The company operates polymer centers in Las Vegas, opened in December 2023, and Indianapolis, launched earlier this year. 

These facilities process curbside-collected PET, PE, and PP into high-quality flake and sorted bales. 

Blue Polymers complements this by converting flake into pellets, with its Indianapolis facility already supplying food-grade rPET.

A recent development, announced on September 25, 2024, further expands Blue Polymers’ footprint. 

The company broke ground on a 162,000-square-foot facility in Buckeye, Arizona, set to open in mid-2025. 

This plant will focus on recycled polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), processing materials from the Las Vegas polymer center to create resins for both food-grade and non-food-grade packaging. 

The facility is expected to create over 60 skilled jobs and contribute to a network targeting 300 million pounds of recycled resin annually.

Republic is also advancing its Northeast presence with a new polymer center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, planned for operation in 2027. 

“The Northeast has to be part of the equation,” Keller said, highlighting the region’s robust bottling and extrusion capacity. Equipment installation is slated for early 2026. 

This expansion builds on Republic’s network of 80 recycling centers, aiming to streamline the supply chain from curbside collection to sustainable packaging.

Blue Polymers’ efforts address growing demand for high-quality recycled plastics, driven by state regulations and corporate sustainability goals. 

The combined infrastructure of Republic’s polymer centers and Blue Polymers’ facilities enhances the circularity of plastics, ensuring materials return to shelves efficiently.

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