Circularix and Republic Services partner to increase rPET supply

USA – Circularix, a manufacturer in the recycled plastics industry, has entered into a supply agreement to obtain some of its postconsumer PET flake from Republic Services’ Polymer Centers.

Circularix’s Hatfield facility has an annual production capacity of 55 million pounds of food-grade rPET pellets, and the company is set to open a second plant in Ocala, Florida, in the first half of this year.

Leon Farahnik, CEO of Circularix, stated in a previous interview that the company plans to establish a total of five plants, with the next three planned for Texas, Arizona, and the Pacific Northwest. The company aims to produce 275 million pounds of rPET pellets annually across all five facilities.

In a news release about the agreement with Republic, Farahnik expressed the company’s commitment to sustainable practices and excitement about collaborating with Republic Services to enhance domestic recycling capabilities.

He mentioned that the agreement aligns with their environmental goals and dedication to providing beverage brands and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies with the material needed to fulfill their sustainability commitments.

Pete Keller, Republic Services Vice President of Recycling and Sustainability, highlighted the support for customers’ recycled content goals through the Polymer Center network.

He emphasized the promotion of true plastics circularity, allowing a PET bottle to be recycled into a new PET bottle.

Circularix views the agreement as a proactive response to the increasing demand for sustainable packaging solutions.

Circularix is a joint venture between HPC Industries LLC, the former owner of the now-closed CarbonLite bottle-to-bottle PET recycler in Los Angeles, and Australia-based Macquarie Group’s Commodities and Global Markets group.

Republic Services inaugurated its first Polymer Center in Las Vegas in late 2023. The Polymer Center processes plastic bottles, jugs, and containers collected from homes and businesses to produce rPET flake, color-sorted high-density polypropylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP) for use in new packaging.

Republic Services plans to establish a nationwide network of four Polymer Centers. The company, along with partner Ravago in Blue Polymers LLC, broke ground in November of the previous year in Indianapolis on a plastics recycling complex.

This facility will house a Republic Services Polymer Center and a Blue Polymers advanced polymer production facility.

Through Blue Polymers, Republic and Ravago are developing a network of facilities to produce 100 percent postconsumer-recycled (PCR) resin to meet the growing demand for sustainable solutions among plastic manufacturers.

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