Next-Generation Plastic Recycling Plant Is Bet on Rising US Demand - Bloomberg

A new facility in Las Vegas processes trashed bottles so they can be made into food-grade plastic again, rather than “downcycled.”

Republic Services

Most gamblers looking for action in Las Vegas head for the Strip, but the biggest bet to watch these days is on the edge of town. There, a vast new complex will take plastic waste from across the West and process it into high-quality material that manufacturers can turn back into water and soda bottles or other food-grade packaging.

Republic Services Inc., one of the nation’s largest trash haulers, opened the new 75,000-square-foot Polymer Center on Tuesday. Republic says it has invested $70 million dollars in the plant on the belief that there’s a growing US market for recycled PET flake. PET, or polyethylene terephthalate, is the light, transparent plastic used in soda and water bottles.