Republic Services Inc. is investing heavily in plastics recycling equipment as part of new plans to create the country's largest residential recycling facility near Las Vegas.
Republic Services, based in Phoenix, is building a 110,000-square-foot recycling facility adjacent to an existing 88,000-square-foot location in North Las Vegas that together will make the Southern Nevada Recycling Complex the largest in the United States, the company said.
The new system will feature “optical sorters to maximize the recovery of all grades of plastics, including PET, HDPE, and aseptic containers/cartons,” the company said in a statement.
Republic Services, the No. 2 waste and recycling company in the nation behind Waste Management Inc., has long-term agreements in place in Southern Nevada to control the vast majority of waste and recyclables.
Construction will create 80 jobs, and the facility will employ 180 when fully operational next fall, the company said.
The recycling facility will be able to process 70 tons of mixed recyclables per hour, including plastics, for a daily total of about 1,000 tons.