CarbonLITE expands in Dallas

Los Angeles-based CarbonLITE Holdings LLC says it has expanded capacity at its Dallas plant to provide more recycled-content polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to its customers.

The company, which calls itself the world’s largest recycler of plastic beverage bottles, says it collectively processes more than 7 billion bottles annually at its facilities in Dallas; Riverside, California; and Reading, Pennsylvania. CarbonLITE says its recycled PET (rPET) can be made into new bottles in a closed-loop, bottle-to-bottle system. The company’s customers include Coca-Cola, Nestle Waters North America and PepsiCo.

The 220,000-square-foot, $62 million Dallas plant opened in 2017. Equipment being added there as part of the expansion includes an additional extrusion line.

“We are gratified to be able to provide more raw material to help our customers meet their ambitious goals to increase the amount of recycled plastic they use in their beverage containers and to meet their sustainability targets,” says CarbonLITE CEO Leon Farahnik.

By enabling customers to avoid the use of virgin plastic produced from petroleum, each of CarbonLITE’s facilities prevents the release of more 60,000 tons of carbon emissions annually, says the firm. In addition to rPET for bottles, the company says its PinnPACK Packaging division specializes in food packaging made from recycled plastic.

“CarbonLITE is committed to environmental stewardship,” says Farahnik. “Recycling is an essential tool in reducing greenhouse gasses and environmental waste. By turning used PET bottles into new PET bottles and products, we are able to conserve virgin resources, reduce landfill, help keep our oceans clean and capitalize on the energy already invested in making existing plastic products.”