Cyclyx expands postuse plastic collection program

Cyclyx International, a joint venture among Tigard, Oregon-based Agilyx and Houston-based companies ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell, has expanded its plastic diversion program. Five new locations in Houston will increase the ability to divert more plastics from landfill, the company says, ultimately helping to increase the recyclability of postuse plastics.

The 10to90 All-Plastic Bag It & Bring It initiative is a community take-back and engagement program designed to divert plastic waste away from landfill and increase its recyclability. Most traditional recyclers only accept number one and two plastics, such as water and soda bottles, milk jugs and detergent bottles. Plastics Nos. 3-7 are more complex and often deemed difficult to recycle, meaning they are not accepted and more than likely end up in landfills.

Bag It & Bring It accepts all numbered plastics from Nos. 1-7, including straws, takeout containers, dry cleaner bags, bubble wrap and polystyrene foam, as well as non-numbered plastics, such as chip bags, baby bottles, CDs and plastic wrap. Since the launch of the first Bag It & Bring It program in December 2022, Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Cyclyx has collected more than 392,000 pounds of plastic waste at three existing 10t90 locations in Houston. Collected plastic waste is redirected toward recycling pathways.

“The public response from our initial [10to90] All Plastics Collections efforts has been overwhelmingly positive,” Houston Solid Waste Director Mark Wilfalk says. “Broadening our collection efforts will provide Houstonians with more opportunities to divert these additional plastics from our waste stream.”

Plastic waste collected at these locations will be stored while the Cyclyx Circularity Center (CCC1) is built and then will be processed through CCC1 once it is operational. Located at the Houston Tradeport with a planned startup in mid-2025, the CCC1 will combine innovations for plastic sorting, feedstock processing and custom compounding that will allow the acceptance of a wider range of plastic waste, including those plastics that are currently not being recycled.

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The plastic waste will then be processed to prepare it for use in a range of new and existing recycling technologies. Cyclyx has begun predevelopment efforts for its second CCC (CCC2. When combined, CCC1 and CCC2 will have the capacity to produce up to 600 million pounds of plastic feedstock per year.

“Cyclyx is at the forefront of managing postuse plastic in new and innovative ways,” Cyclyx CEO Joe Vaillancourt says. “The expansion of our 10to90 Bag It & Bring It program is a testament to our continued commitment to provide communities and residents with an accessible, simplified process to increase participation, and ultimately volumes of plastic waste collected. Residents simply need to take all their plastics and Bag It & Bring It to a 10to90 drop-off location.” 

New locations for the program include Sommermeyer Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Center, Kirkpatrick Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Center, Sunbeam Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Center, Southwest Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Center and Central Street Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Center. These sites are in addition to the three currently operating 10to90 Bag It & Bring It locations at Kingwood Recycling Center, North Main Neighborhood Depository/Recycling Center and Westpark Consumer Recycling Center.