Blue Polymers Breaks Ground on Recycled Plastics Plant
Blue Polymers this week broke ground on a new recycled plastics production facility in Buckeye, Arizona. The 162,000-square-foot plant is expected to create more than 60 jobs and open in the second half of 2025. The factory will support sustainable packaging manufacturing throughout the Western United States.
The facility will specialize in recycled polyethylene commonly found in milk jugs and laundry detergent bottles, as well as polypropylene, used in consumer packaging, like margarine tubs and yogurt cups. The plastics will be processed into high-quality, drop-in recycled plastic solutions for the packaging industry.
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Phoenix-based Republic Services, a joint venture partner in Blue Polymers, is developing a regional Polymer Center plastics recycling facility network. The centers, the first in North America, according to the company, will produce high-quality, color-sorted recycled plastics directly from Republic's national curbside collection operations. Belgian plastic manufacturer Ravago is also a part of the venture.
Each Republic Services Polymer Center will be paired with a Blue Polymers facility; the Buckeye facility will process materials from Republic's Las Vegas Polymer Center, which opened in late 2023.
Demand for domestic recycled plastics is rising due to sustainability commitments and state legislation. Many consumer-packaged goods (CPG) companies are pledging to incorporate more recycled content into their packaging designs. At the same time, five states have implemented minimum recycled content requirements for single-use packaging.
Blue Polymers hopes to support true package-to-package circularity, with an annual production target of more than 300 million pounds of recycled resins. The Buckeye facility joins the previously announced Indianapolis location as part of Blue Polymers' network of four regional facilities.
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