New centre will produce quality recycled plastics from curbside collections

On Thursday, September 26th, leaders from Blue Polymers, Republic Services, and the City of Buckeye broke ground on Blue Polymers' latest recycled plastics production facility which will support sustainable packaging manufacturing throughout the Western United States. 

The 162,000-square-foot facility is expected to create more than 60 highly skilled permanent jobs when it opens in Buckeye in the second half of 2025.

Recycling polyethylene and polypropylene for the packaging industry

The Blue Polymers facility will specialize in recycled polyethylene, commonly found in milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles, and polypropylene, used in consumer packaging, such as margarine tubs and yoghurt cups. These plastics will be processed and formulated into high-quality, drop-in recycled plastic solutions for the packaging industry.

"Blue Polymers was created to meet the need for high-quality recycled plastics for use in consumer packaging and other applications," said Tim Oudman, senior vice president of sustainability innovation at Republic Services and a member of Blue Polymers' board of directors. "We appreciate the support we've received from the City of Buckeye and the Arizona Commerce Authority for this project, as well as from our development partners Merit, FCL, and Butler Design Group."

Phoenix-based Republic Services, a joint venture partner in Blue Polymers, is developing a network of regional polymer centre plastics recycling facilities. These centres, the first of their kind in North America, produce high-quality, colour-sorted recycled plastics directly from Republic's national curbside collection operations. Each Republic Services polymer centre will be paired with a Blue Polymers facility; the Buckeye facility will process materials from Republic's Las Vegas polymer centre, which opened in late 2023.

"This regional recycling plant solidifies Buckeye's commitment to bringing high-quality, advanced manufacturing jobs to our residents," said Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn. "Blue Polymers' investment in the city, along with their innovative strategies to use recycled plastics for everyday consumer products, will ensure we remain a vibrant, sustainable community."

Supporting package-to-package circularity

Demand is rising for domestically sourced, high-quality recycled plastics from both voluntary sustainability commitments and state legislation. Many consumer-packaged goods companies are pledging to incorporate more recycled content into their packaging designs. Five states have now implemented minimum recycled content requirements for single-use packaging. Republic's polymer centres and Blue Polymers' new facilities will help meet this demand.

Blue Polymers' facilities aim to support true package-to-package circularity, with an annual production target of over three million pounds of recycled resins. The Buckeye facility joins the previously announced Indianapolis location as part of Blue Polymers' network of four regional facilities.