Wedoany.com Report on Feb 7th, The North American Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA) recently announced a strategic partnership with the Mexico City-based organization R3vira to jointly promote the development of polystyrene recycling projects in Latin America's largest metropolitan area. This collaboration aims to enhance the recycling and processing capacity for polystyrene and expanded polystyrene through a community-driven recycling model.
According to the cooperation agreement, PSRA will support R3vira in expanding its innovative "micro-routes" collection system, increasing the number of active routes from 12 to 24. This initiative is expected to significantly boost the recycling volume of high-impact polystyrene and expanded polystyrene by 2026, providing support for the improvement of Mexico City's polystyrene recycling system.
Justin Riney, Chairman of the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance, stated: "Expanding recycling channels is crucial for achieving true circularity for polystyrene. The partnership with R3vira reflects our commitment to driving practical solutions that meet community needs while demonstrating the potential of polystyrene as a recyclable resource. By combining end markets with community collection models, we are proving that polystyrene can play a significant role in the circular economy."
PSRA's investment will be used for key infrastructure upgrades, including deploying densification equipment across 16 districts in Mexico City, expanding storage facilities, and conducting workforce training. Through the existing partnership with Resirene, materials collected by R3vira will undergo closed-loop processing to produce FDA-compliant recycled polystyrene resin, which can be directly used in new packaging applications.
Martha Melecio, Founder of R3vira, noted: "The collaboration with the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance enables us to further enhance the collection system we have built over the past five years. With PSRA's support, we can not only increase polystyrene recycling volumes but also strengthen end-market channels and create more local job opportunities related to recycling operations in Mexico City. This partnership demonstrates the environmental benefits and economic value of circular economy solutions at the community level."
This collaborative project illustrates how industry cooperation and targeted investment can accelerate the process of polystyrene circularity. By supporting scalable recycling systems, this initiative helps solidify polystyrene's position in the North American circular economy and promotes the sustainable development of the polystyrene recycling industry in Mexico City.
