PetStar Helps Mexico’s PET Recycling Hit Record Highs

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Toluca, Mexico-based PetStar has contributed significantly to boost Mexico’s polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle recycling rates. The company’s PET recycling volumes have witnessed tremendous growth of nearly 150% over the past five years. The plants operated by the company spread across Mexico, currently produces nearly 50,000 metric tons of recycled-content resin (rPET) every year. The rPET thus generated are used in the manufacture of new bottles and other useful products including clothes, fibers, shoes etc. Also, the company is expected to significantly boost its resin production in 2018.

As per estimates, PetStar has recycled hundreds of millions of PET bottles since its inception in 2006. Major expansions had transformed the plant into world’s largest food grade PET recycler in 2014. It currently collects nearly 70% of all bottles sent to market. PetStar has already set an ambitious goal to recover and recycle all PET bottles by 2020, thereby achieving zero waste. The state-of-the-art PetStar recycling facilities has helped Mexico to become the leader in PET collection and recycling within the Latin American region. The company has expanded into one of the world’s largest PET recyclers.

PetStar operates approximately 800 collection points to ensure ample supply of PET. The collected PET is brought to one of the eight collection plants, where they are hand-sorted. The plastics are then baled and transported to the company’s main plant located in Toluca. The baled materials are washed and ground before they are extruded and converted into 100% recycled pellet material. The pellets are then sent to bottle producers, who blend the recycled resin with virgin resin to produce new bottles.

PetStar’s PET collection and recycling efforts have resulted in positive economic, social and environmental impacts.