Republic breaks ground on Arizona Blue Polymers plant

Representatives from Blue Polymers LLC, Republic Services and the city of Buckeye, Arizona, have broken ground on a Blue Polymers recycled plastics production facility in the Western United States.

When it opens in the second half of next year, the planned 162,000-square-foot plant will support sustainable packaging manufacturing throughout the Western U.S., according to the parties involved.

The Buckeye Blue Polymers facility, announced this May, will produce recycled-content polyethylene (PE), such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) used in milk jugs and detergent bottles, and polypropylene (PP), frequently used in packaging such as margarine tubs and yogurt cups.

“These plastics will be processed and formulated into high-quality, drop-in recycled plastic solutions for the packaging industry,” Blue Polymers and Republic say.

Phoenix-based Republic Services, a joint venture (JV) partner in Blue Polymers, is developing a network of regional Polymer Center plastics recycling facilities. Those centers are designed to sort recyclable plastics sourced from Republic’s national curbside collection operations by resin and color.

Each Republic Services Polymer Center will be paired with a Blue Polymers facility, with the Buckeye facility to process materials from Republic’s Las Vegas Polymer Center, which opened in late 2023.

“Blue Polymers was created to meet the need for high-quality recycled plastics for use in consumer packaging and other applications,” says Tim Oudman, senior vice president 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."

“This regional recycling plant solidifies Buckeye’s commitment to bringing high-quality, advanced manufacturing jobs to our residents,” Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn adds. “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.”

Republic says demand is rising for domestically sourced, high-quality recycled plastics because of both voluntary sustainability commitments and state legislation.

“We are excited to celebrate the groundbreaking of Blue Polymers’ recycled plastics production facility in Buckeye,” says Sandra Watson, president and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. “The addition of this facility adds to Arizona’s leadership in sustainable technologies while creating more jobs for Arizona residents.”

Blue Polymers says its facilities are being built to support true package-to-package circularity, with an annual production target of 300-plus million pounds (tons) of recycled resins. The Buckeye facility joins a previously announced Indianapolis location as part of Blue Polymers’ network of four regional facilities.