Stadler celebrates opening of Republic Services’ second Polymer Center

The new Indianapolis Polymer Center builds on the success of the Las Vegas facility and further strengthens Republic Services’ vertically integrated plastics recycling operations. The plant is designed to process pre-sorted plastics collected by Republic Services to recover PET and Polyolefins (PO). It will provide high-quality, food-grade recycled plastics for reuse in the production of new bottles, jugs, and containers.

The Republic Services Polymer Center in Indianapolis incorporates a dual-line system designed by Stadler. Bales of mixed plastics are opened using Stadler’s WireX machine for fully automated wire removal. The materials are fed into the facility and processed separately on two dedicated lines: one for PET and one for mixed plastics, with capacities of 5.5 and 5 tons per hour, respectively.

The process on the PET line begins with mechanical separation and cleaning to remove ferrous particles. A Stadler STT2000 ballistic separator then sorts materials into rigid, flexible, and fines fractions, which undergo near-infrared (NIR) sorting to further separate caps, rings, and labels. The 3D fractions go on to be processed through Stadler’s Label Remover. Clear PET, caps, and rings are directed to the washing line for granulation and cleaning for reuse, while color PET is compacted into bales.