Republic Services Inc., which is planning a network of plastics recycling centers around the country, has snagged a high-profile customer.
Pete Keller, Republic Services vice president of recycling and sustainability, indicates Coca-Cola Co. will use recycled PET flake from his company.
Republic Services is constructing the first of its Polymer Centers in Las Vegas and has plans to create similar facilities in the future in other geographic regions.
"Coca-Cola has pledged to use at least 50 percent recycled material in its packaging by 2030, and [recycled PET] flake produced by our polymer centers will help achieve that goal. Republic's nationwide collection, recycling and Polymer Center infrastructure, combined with our agreement with Coca-Cola, uniquely positions us to enable true bottle-to-bottle circularity," Keller said on LinkedIn.
Republic is moving from simply separating and baling plastics into processing the material into flake so that it can then be used by other companies to create new products. The move marks a shift in the solid waste industry that has traditionally operated material recycling facilities that simply separated recyclables for further processing by other companies.
When unveiling plans to create the Las Vegas facility last year, Republic Services estimated the facility's cost at $50 million.