Niagara Bottling Acquires Established Recycling Plant! Enhancing Bottle-to-Bottle Closed-Loop Recycling Layout

Niagara Bottling recently acquired an industry-first, 305,000-square-foot integrated recycling and packaging facility in Los Angeles, injecting new vitality into California’s recycling ecosystem and making the family-owned beverage producer one of the few companies in the United States with a fully closed-loop bottle-to-bottle recycling production line.

The facility was previously operated by rPlanet Earth and was shut down in September 2025. In this transaction, Niagara Bottling completed the acquisition from rPlanet Earth Los Angeles Holdings and rPlanet Earth Los Angeles. The acquisition also included ownership of the rPlanet Earth brand, underscoring Niagara Bottling’s strong commitment to deepening its presence in the circular economy track of the beverage industry.

Increase investment in equipment upgrades.

Niagara Bottling President Rali Sanderson stated, “We are honored to reopen this facility and join the small number of companies in the United States that have truly achieved closed-loop bottle-to-bottle recycling. At the same time, we will invest in upgrading production equipment and carry out the entire process of turning locally sourced post-consumer recyclable plastic in California into brand-new beverage bottles. This move will not only restore core recycling industry capacity in the region, but also significantly increase the recycling rate of plastic containers, enabling more discarded plastic products to be reused in a circular economy.”

Relying on this strategic acquisition, Niagara Bottling will comprehensively upgrade its recycling capacity by processing PET feedstock through sorting, washing, reprocessing, and other steps into high-quality recycled PET flakes and recycled pellets. The recycled materials will be directly used in the production of its own product packaging, significantly reducing the use of virgin plastic and steadily advancing the company’s circular low-carbon development goals.

The facility, formerly owned by rPlanet Earth, is equipped with industry-leading recycling production equipment and can efficiently process mixed-material Type B bales from curbside recycling bins—materials that have historically been difficult and complex to handle. This capacity comes online at a pivotal moment: last year, PET plastic officially surpassed aluminum to become the most recycled material in California. The facility will help Niagara Bottling and its partner customers build a local closed-loop material system in California, enabling circular flow of raw materials.

Expand the production layout of the beverage industry.

With the inclusion of rPlanet Earth’s production capacity, Niagara Bottling is able to further expand its beverage production footprint and continue to advance its vertical integration strategy. Founded in 1963, this family-owned business has long been committed to environmental sustainability and packaging innovation. Over the past thirty years, it has reduced the plastic used in caps, bottles, and labels by 70% through lightweighting technology, and it was the first to introduce label-free beverage bottles in the North American market, achieving remarkable environmental results that are widely recognized in the industry.

Mark Murray, Executive Director of Californians Against Waste, commented: “Niagara Bottling’s proactive commitment to producer environmental responsibility enables the billions of PET bottles Californians place into recycling streams to return to production and be remade into new products. This not only reduces environmental pollution and dependence on fossil fuels, but also creates local jobs and stimulates regional economic growth. Far from being a superficial environmental slogan or a green label, it is a tangible investment that truly helps California build a closed-loop recycling economy.”

The factory is currently undergoing phased equipment refurbishment and capacity restoration, and will subsequently be fully integrated into Niagara Bottling’s overall industrial network. The company has already completed recruitment for some positions and plans to hire a total of 60 employees, with priority given to several experienced former rPlanet Earth plant workers. Once the facility begins operations, it is expected to initially produce 45 million pounds of recycled PET feedstock annually, all of which will be used for its own beverage packaging production. Notably, Niagara Bottling is also the first bottled beverage manufacturer in North America to receive TRUE Zero Waste certification.