Regenyx deployed chemical recycling process of Agilyx for the conversion of used polystyrene products back to their original liquid monomer form
Image: More than 1,300 pounds of used plastic beer mugs were collected and delivered to Agilyx. Photo: courtesy of Tomasz Mikołajczyk/Pixabay.
The Oregon Brewers Festival and Agilyx have partnered to recycle used plastic mugs used in the popular summer event held from 24 July to 27 July in the US.
During the four-day event, more than 1,300 pounds of used plastic beer mugs were collected and delivered to Agilyx.
Polystyrene was preferred for the festival mugs since it provides cost-effective, high-utility packaging for food service applications.
Oregon Brewers Festival recycling coordinator said: “We were so thrilled to partner with Agilyx for the first time this year and recycle thousands of our used beer mugs.
“As glass is not allowed in Portland parks, and compostable cups are no longer accepted in the city’s commercial composting program, polystyrene is the festival’s most affordable option for a drinking vessel.
“Teaming up with Agilyx helped us divert a large quantity of plastic from the landfill, and it’s exciting to know that the used beer mugs will be recycled into the same or similar products.”
Americas Styrenics AmSty and Agilyx have created a new joint venture (JV), Regenyx, which will involve in the recycling of post-consumer polystyrene materials to new polystyrene products.
Regenyx deployed chemical recycling process of Agilyx for the conversion of used polystyrene products back to their original liquid monomer form.
The festival required its mug supplier to supply all documentation of the materials used to produce the mug, then later shared that information with Agilyx, which found out that the product could be reused through its proprietary chemical recycling process.
Agilyx director of business development said: “Our collaboration with the Oregon Brewers Festival demonstrates how easy it is for large, multi-day events to reduce waste by choosing a plastic that is amenable to chemical recycling.
“Additionally, through our partnership with AmSty, we are truly creating a circular pathway for polystyrene.
“We echo OBF’s excitement in diverting thousands of mugs from the landfill. Our innovative process demonstrates how every piece of post-use plastic has value and can be transformed into new, useful products.”
The Oregon Brewers festival persuaded the attendees onsite and via social media to recycle plastic mugs used during this year’s event at blue collection barrels placed at all four entry/exit gates.
Furthermore, the festival also donated all unused beer mugs to Birch Community Services for its sustainable families programme. It also recycled 170lbs of clean and dry film plastic bags through Fred Meyer, a participating retailer for the TREX recycling programme, which turns plastic bags into Earth-friendly TREX composite decking and railings.
Additionally, it collected 760lbs of used cooking oil from the food vendors and recycled it through a local biodiesel recycling company named Oregon Oils.
The festival also composted 1,140lbs of food scraps and recycled more than 2,700lbs of cardboard and other recyclable materials.