Rumpke, Eastman Partner on Molecular Recycling for PET Packaging Waste

Rumpke and Eastman have announced a new partnership aimed at increasing circularity in packaging.

Hard-tor-recycle and colored PET packaging waste collected from Cincinnati-based Rumpke will be used as feedstock for Eastman's molecular recycling process. Kingsport, Tenn.-based Eastman will turn the feedstock into virgin quality polyesters to be used in packaging applications.

"Jeff Snyder, director of recycling at Rumpke, said that the collaboration "creates a new market for hard-to-recycle colored and opaque waste that is not currently recycled today."

The PET packaging can be used across a range of consumer applications, including personal care and cosmetic packaging, detergent and soap packaging and various dairy and food packaging, according to Rumpke.

This investment into packaging enhances circularity for those industries and others.

"Rumpke and Eastman are both committed to innovative approaches to reducing plastic waste through collaboration," said Brad Lich, Eastman executive vice president and chief commercial officer, in a statement. "This partnership reinforces the complementary nature of molecular and mechanical recycling to keep more raw materials in the circular economy enabling brands to meet their recycled content goals."

Eastman recently announced the start-up of the world's largest material-to-material molecular recycling facility at its Kingsport, Tennessee site. Set to begin shipping its first products in the coming weeks, the Kingsport plant will recycle 110,000 metric tons of hard-to-recycle plastic waste annually.

Source: Rumpke and Eastman