China's Suplas has begun trial operations at its new recycling facility in Pinghu, Zhejiang province--the country's first closed-loop PET tray-to-tray recycling plant--designed to process 28,000 metric tons per year of post-consumer PET trays, according to a Tuesday news release from technology provider Boretech Environmental Engineering.
The plant produces hot-washed recycled PET tray flake that can be re-used in food packaging applications, achieving a "tray-to-tray" circular system.
The Suplas project addresses a longstanding gap in PET recycling, where most tray waste historically has been downcycled into lower-value products rather than re-used in food-grade applications.
China's broader 2026 plastics recycling action plan targets a total of 19.5 million tons of recycled plastics by 2030, but pathways for non-bottle PET recycling have been limited.
Suplas' washing line incorporates advanced separation and hot-washing technology to remove heavy adhesive contamination and complex impurities from used trays, yielding PET flakes that meet key quality metrics and are suitable for downstream pelletizing and solid-state polycondensation before returning to tray production.
In addition to technological developments, the facility leverages a smart factory system to improve automation and operational efficiency.
"The process incorporates advanced material separation technology, intensive hot washing and aspirator for label and impurity removal, minimizing PET material losses," said Alan Ou, vice general manager of Boretech.
"We believe the Suplas project could serve as a technical reference for future development of food-grade PET tray recycling in China and other markets, as regulators and brand owners continue to assess pathways toward higher recycled content and closed-loop solutions."
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--Reporting by Xin Nee Chua, xchua@opisnet.com; Editing by Lujia Wang, lwang@opisnet.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 01, 2026 23:24 ET (03:24 GMT)
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