-Republic Services has opened a one of a kind polymer recycling center in Las Vegas to recycle plastic from all over the west including the Treasure Valley.
-The new facility will take clean number one and number two plastic, mainly bottles, and convert it into chips that can be reused to make new bottles.
-The company has plans to build 4-5 more polymer recycling plants across the United States.
-Republic Services is one of the largest waste services companies in the country.
-Republic Services just bought out Western Recycling in the Treasure Valley.
When china stopped taking recyclable plastics about five years ago, it left municipalities scrambling to find alternatives.
In Boise they went with the Hefty orange bag campaign and even reached a deal to send plastic to a now defunct facility in Salt Lake City that tried to melt it into other products.
But now Republic Services, who recently bought out Western Recycling in the Treasure Valley has upped the antie.
"We see true value in materials like rigid plastic and there's a true demand for these materials," says Jeremy Walters, Sustainability Ambassador for Republic Services
To take advantage of it, they've created an innovative recycling center in Las Vegas.
"The polymer center in Vegas is the first of its kind in the country." says Walters.
It will take in all number one and number two plastics, primarily bottles, from all over the west.
They'll chop it up and turn it into new bottles and they've already got a major buyer in Coca Cola which they say will buy a quarter of their recycled product.
"They have strong demands to have recycled materials in their packaging and some states are even mandating it so the demand for this product just keeps going up and up." says Walters.
But to make it all work requires you
"Walters says it's easy to get discouraged about recycling with all the misinformation out there. The biggest he says is that only 5 percent of all plastic is recycled. But when you think of it everything is made of plastic these days. Your phone, your toys, your remote control. It's everywhere. But when you're talking about single use items like bottles, the recycling rate is closer to 30 percent."
Walters says consumers should feel good about Republic Services complete control over the recycling stream.
"It's good news for Boise residents because again, we can add that layer of transparency in terms of collection processing and then going off to market." says Walters.
And remember, as always, make sure all bottles are empty, clean and dry.
