On Wednesday, September 25, Republic Services Blue Polymers LLC and the city of Buckeye, Arizona, broke ground on a Blue Polymers recycled plastics production facility. This new recycling facility for reprocessing plastic packaging is a joint venture backed by Republic Services. When it opens in the second half of next year, the planned 162,000-square-foot plant will support sustainable packaging manufacturing throughout the Western U.S., producing recycled-content polyethylene (PE), such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) used in milk jugs and detergent bottles, and polypropylene (PP), frequently used in packaging such as margarine tubs and yogurt cups.
“When you couple Republic’s collection operations with our recycling centers and then Blue Polymers, you can trace those plastics from the curb all the way back to the shelf, and in some cases in as little as 120 days,” said Tim O., Senior Vice President of Sustainability Innovation. “We’ve had more and more interest from customers, wanting to be able to trace their materials through the system.”
The Buckeye facility joins a previously announced Indianapolis location as part of Blue Polymers’ four planned regional facilities. These projects are another way we are fulfilling our promise of Sustainability in Action.
To learn more, check out these two articles: Plastics Recycling Update and Recycling Today.
