Republic Services to launch third polymer centre in Allentown, Pennsylvania

USA – Republic Services Inc., a leading waste and recycling company, has announced plans to establish its third Polymer Centre in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with operations expected to commence by the end of 2026. 

This initiative marks a step in expanding the company’s national network of advanced plastics recycling facilities, aimed at meeting the growing demand for sustainable packaging materials.

According to Pete Keller, Republic’s vice president of recycling and sustainability, the Allentown site spans approximately 10 acres and is strategically located to leverage the Northeast’s robust recycling supply and demand. 

“The Northeast is a large population centre with a high volume of material and lots of demand for that material,” Keller stated. “There’s also a lot of conversion capacity, with a number of bottlers in the region.”

The Polymer Centre will process polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polypropylene (PP) collected from residential and commercial sources. 

PET will be shredded and washed to produce recycled PET (rPET) flake for new beverage bottles, while HDPE and PP will be sorted by color and type before being sent to a nearby Blue Polymers facility for compounding and pelletizing. 

Blue Polymers, a joint venture with Luxembourg-based Ravago, will transform these materials into custom drop-in resins for various applications.

Site preparation is underway, with construction set to begin in late October and equipment installation scheduled for April 2026. 

The Allentown Polymer Center mirrors the design of Republic’s Indianapolis facility, which has a capacity of 80,000 metric tons annually. 

Together, the Polymer Center and Blue Polymers facility are projected to produce over 175 million pounds of recycled plastics yearly, supporting food-grade packaging and other sustainable products.

Republic’s CEO, Jon Vander Ark, highlighted the company’s progress during a recent earnings call. 

“We’ve taken learnings from our Las Vegas facility and applied them to Indianapolis, and we’ll do the same in Pennsylvania,” he said. 

“The demand for recycled PET is through the roof, and we’re confident in the returns profile of this investment.”

A recent development further strengthens Republic’s recycling network: the Blue Polymers joint venture acquired a former PET recycling facility in Riverside, California, previously operated by Evergreen Recycling Inc. 

This acquisition enhances the partnership’s capacity to produce high-quality recycled resins, complementing the Allentown project and reinforcing Republic’s commitment to a circular economy for plastics.

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE