Partnerships help advance recycling

From the Summer 2024 issue of Plastics Recycling.

By Chris Voloschuk 

There are some things you just can’t do alone. 

When it comes to solving what some have dubbed “the global plastic waste crisis,” that is especially true. 

When participants across the value chain put their brains, expertise and even their investment dollars together, it can produce results on a huge scale. That is no clearer than in the case of Cyclyx International, the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based company featured in the new issue of Plastics Recycling.  

Since its formation in 2020, the Cyclyx consortium has grown to include more than 40 members representing sectors such as recycling, packaging, logistics and transportation, among others. 

Cyclyx, a subsidiary of Oregon-based chemical recycler Agilyx, also has formed a joint venture with ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell, two chemical companies with advanced and mechanical recycling operations, to not only build the first-of-its-kind Cyclyx Circularity Center in Houston, but to grow the company’s 10to90 postuse plastic takeback program in the city. 

With investment from Houston-based ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell, the circularity center is currently under construction and will open in mid-2025. At full capacity, it will produce 300 million pounds of plastic feedstock for recycling annually.  

Through the 10to90 program, which has extended to eight locations around Houston since late 2022 and accepts all types of plastic, more than 440,000 pounds of material have been collected for eventual use at the circularity center. 

Cyclyx’ partnerships have helped push plastic recycling forward, and the company recently was recognized by the Washington-based American Chemistry Council (ACC) for its efforts in working with ExxonMobil and LyondellBasell, earning the 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award in the External Collaborator Category. 

The ACC says its Sustainability Leadership awards honor member companies for their achievements and contributions to sustainability across areas including product safety, innovation and transparency, environmental protection, circularity, social responsibility and community engagement. The External Collaborator award recognizes an organization that has worked with an ACC member on an initiative that has made significant contributions to drive sustainability and innovation. 

“We are honored that Cyclyx received this incredible recognition for our efforts to turn plastic waste into a valued resource,” CEO Joe Vaillancourt said of the award announcement in May. “Our innovative approach demonstrates what’s possible—plastic collection through our 10to90 programs, chemical characterization to understand the plastic waste and custom compounding of recipes for our recycling partners.  

“We strive to be good stewards of this underutilized resource, building out the necessary infrastructure to support a plastic circular economy. The ACC’s selection of Cyclyx for this award is a privilege and validation of the amazing work happening by all stakeholders brought together through the Cyclyx consortium.” 

Cyclyx’ goal is to increase the recyclability of plastic from 10 percent to 90 percent globally. By combining skills with other stakeholders, even the most ambitious goals seem a little more possible.