How containers, jugs and PET bottles soon find their way to emerging recycling hub Sin City  

Las Vegas is gaining popularity among recyclers. A handful of electronics recyclers has already chosen the fast-growing desert city as their new and promising hub. The recent launch of the Las Vegas Polymer Center proves plastics recyclers are following a similar route.

While tourism remains Las Vegas’ biggest earner, it is far from its only industry. Logistics is one of the upcoming sectors witnessing spectacular growth, with new warehouses popping up in and around Vegas every month. In 2022, Amazon opened two distribution centres in the north and south of the metropolis.

Vegas currently has a population of more than three million (up from 1.3 million in 2000) and that is expected to hit 3.7 million in 2035. Clearly, all this development and growth justifies a proper recycling infrastructure.

AMERICAN FIRST

The latest recycling project is the Las Vegas Polymer Center. Launched in January 2024, the facility processes plastic bottles, jugs and containers into materials ready for use in new packaging. Claimed to be the first of its kind in North America, the plant closes the circular economy to meet the rising demand for high-quality and food-grade recycled plastic. The vertically integrated facility is owned by Republic Services, a major US environmental services business.

Las Vegas Polymer Center was designed and built by recycling tech providers Stadler together with Krones. Krones was the general contractor in the project, working hand-in-hand with Stadler, which was responsible for mechanical sorting.

BOTTLE-TO-BOTTLE

The plant will recycle up to 45 000 tonnes of PET collected across the western United States. The materials will be converted into recycled PET (rPET) flakes, ready to be turned into new bottles, and polyolefins ready for use in the production of new bottles, jugs and containers. ‘It’s the first time a single US company has managed the entire plastics recycling stream, from kerbside collection to the production of high-quality recycled resins ready for use in sustainable packaging,’ says Republic Services’ vice president Pete Keller.

The Polymer Center sorts and processes the materials, which are delivered in bales, on two lines: one for PET and one for mixed plastics, each with a capacity of five tonnes per hour.

THREE MORE TO COME

The Polymer Center in Las Vegas is part of Republic Services’ plans for a nationwide network of recycling facilities. The company intends to build at least three more plants in the near future. Late last year it said that demand for rPET in the US by 2030 would be double the expected supply. The new facilities will help fill a significant part of that gap.