PureCycle Technologies

PureCycle Technologies process offers the only recycled polypropylene with properties equal to virgin polymer.

The standard recycling process grinds up colored plastic to create a gray or black material that has limited uses. Hence, there is little demand for old toys, packaging, carpets, or other polypropylene products that could be recycled. At the moment less than 1% of polypropylene is recycled.

PureCycle Technologies patented recycling process, developed by Procter & Gamble and licenced to the startup, melts down plastic and then uses a gas solvent and filtration to removes color, odor and any other contaminants from plastic waste feedstock to transform it into 100% virgin-like resin. Unlike other advanced recycling technologies, it doesn’t use chemical reactions.

This process fully closes the loop in the reuse of recycled plastics while making recycled plastics more accessible at scale to companies desiring to use a sustainable, recycled resin.

They are building a plant in Ohio that will start commercial production in 2021. PureCycle’s first recycling plant will be able to recycle 119 million pounds of polypropylene, creating demand for nearby recyclers to begin to separate out the material. The facility is expected to produce over 105 million pounds of ultra-pure recycled polypropylene (UPRP) per year.

The recycling company aims to quickly scale up globally, and plans to build 25 plants around the world. They have partnered with Nestlé and Miliken & Company.

PureCycle Technologies received an Innovation in Plastics Recycling Award from the American Chemistry Council. They are backed by Innoventure, a technology incubator in the USA.