Hi and welcome back to our blog! This edition will be about the vision of rPlanet Earth — a closed recycling loop. But first, what is a closed-loop? Closed-loop recycling is a production process where used post-consumer products are collected, recycled, and made into new products of the same quality and ability. For us specifically, we take collected post-consumer plastics, process them in our plant, and produce 100% bottle grade recycled PET (“rPET”) flake. This flake is then used to produce preforms for beverage containers for products such as water, soda and juices; and extruded sheet for our thermoformed containers (for example, clear rPET strawberry clamshells, salad containers, and drinking cups). This closed-loop cycle requires everyone involved – consumers, recyclers, and manufacturers – to work with one another to reclaim our valuable resources and keep them from going to waste. A closed-loop system guarantees that used (post-consumer) products can be remade into new, high-quality products over and over again.

Why is this so important? So many natural resources go to waste with the millions of tons of new products being produced every year with many not being recycled to have another useful life after being discarded. These natural resources can only be replenished for so long until they disappear from the planet completely. Furthermore, these materials are often leaked into the environment, contributing to pollution and degradation of natural ecosystems. Closed-loop recycling helps reduce, if not eliminates, the wasting of natural resources each year; which, in the long run, will prolong our planet’s quality of life and reduce humankind’s carbon footprint and pollution impact. It also prevents the dumping of non-degradable waste into the landfills, such as glass, plastic, and certain metals. Another good thing about closed-loop recycling, done through processes such as those here at rPlanet Earth, is it maintains the high quality of the products without wasting virgin materials, making it environmentally friendly without compromising on performance.

How can you help? Recycle! If you look back at our previous blog post, ‘The Do’s and Don’ts of Recycling’, you can read about how you can contribute to closing the loop and making the planet a healthier place.

We hope some of your questions have been answered about closed-loop recycling and we encourage you to participate in our process!