Leaders from Republic Services, Inc. and Blue Polymers, LLC, celebrated the opening of North America’s first Polymer Center and Blue Polymers plastics recycling complex, transforming plastics circularity from curbside collection to consumer packaging and back again. “The opening of the first Polymer Center-Blue Polymers complex is a significant milestone in advancing circularity for plastic packaging in Indiana and across the region,” said Jon Vander Ark, Republic Services president and chief executive officer. “As a leader in environmental services, Republic Services is uniquely positioned to help meet customers’ demands for sustainable packaging and support Indianapolis’ vision to create a more resilient future.”
The Indianapolis Polymer Center and Blue Polymers facilities are designed to work together to produce more than 175 million pounds annually of recycled plastics for use in food-grade packaging and other applications. The Polymer Center is owned and operated by Republic Services, and Republic is a joint-venture partner in Blue Polymers.
The Polymer Center will process recycled plastics collected from homes and businesses in Indiana and nearby states, including PET (water and soda bottles), HDPE (milk jugs or detergent bottles) and polypropylene (to-go cups or margarine tubs). PET will be shredded and washed to produce recycled PET (rPET) flake, which is used to manufacture new beverage bottles. The HDPE and polypropylene will be sorted by color and type then sent to Blue Polymers to be compounded, blended and pelletized, creating custom drop-in solutions for customers.
Until now, the fate of a recycled plastic bottle or jug in the U.S. wasn’t a new plastic bottle or jug; instead, it was generally downcycled into carpet, clothing or construction pipe 鈥� materials that have few options for further recycling. The Polymer Center and Blue Polymers facilities expect to significantly extend the lifecycle of plastic packaging. Republic Services estimates that most PET bottles can be recycled into new bottles six to seven times, while the process for recycling most HDPE jugs is designed to return them to store shelves in as little as 120 days.
Republic Services and Blue Polymers are developing a network of plastics recycling facilities for nationwide coverage. A Republic Services Polymer Center opened in late 2023 in Las Vegas, and a second Blue Polymers facility is scheduled to open later this year in Buckeye, Arizona. Another Polymer Center-Blue Polymers complex is in development in the Northeastern U.S. The Indianapolis recycling complex includes two buildings totaling approximately 300,000 square feet. Together, the two operations are expected to create about 125 permanent, highly skilled local jobs.
The project received support through a grant from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Central Indiana Waste Diversion Pilot Project; tax credits from the City of Indianapolis in conjunction with Develop Indy, the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development and Employ Indy; Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) incentive-based tax credits, based on the company’s investment and job creation plans; and IEDC Hoosier Business Investment tax credits, designed to help companies invest in smart manufacturing and new technologies.