CarbonLite to Build Plastic Bottle Recycling Plant in Texas

CarbonLite Industries LLC said it plans to build a plastic beverage bottle recycling plant in Abilene, Texas.

The Los Angeles-based HPC company said the $40 million processing plant will process about 1.6 billion used bottles, or 80 million pounds, annually and turn them into food-grade raw material to make into new bottles, according to a news release.

CarbonLite expects to break ground before the year’s end, with production scheduled to begin in late 2014. The facility will employ about 100.

One of the company’s key customers in Texas will be Nestle Waters North America for its Ozarka brand natural spring water.

“Nestle Waters’ decision to expand its recycled-content program into Texas played an important role in CarbonLite choosing Texas for our next plant in North America. We already supply Nestle Waters from our flagship facility in Riverside, Calif., so the transition in to Texas will be seamless,” said Neville Browne, CarbonLite president. “We believe other major beverage companies will follow the lead of Nestle Waters.”

CarbonLite’s Riverside recycling plant covers 220,000 square feet and processes more than two billion used plastic bottles annually.