After weeks as the worst-kept secret in the recycling space, Niagara Bottling has confirmed it acquired the former rPlanet Earth facility in Vernon, California, and will reopen the facility in a push toward vertical integration.
The major water bottler acquired the 305,000 square-foot recycling facility in Southern California as well as the rPlanet Earth brand, a spokesperson told Plastics Recycling Update.
The plant has been offline since September 2025, and will undergo a phased restoration to become fully operational as it is integrated into the Niagara network. The company plans to hire 60 people in total, including many from the former rPlanet Earth operation, and has already filled several positions.
In what the company called “pursuing vertical integration for its business,” Niagara expects to initially produce 45 million pounds of RPET. The acquisition will enhance Niagara’s recycling capabilities by sorting, cleaning and reprocessing B-grade post-consumer PET bales into RPET flake and pellet, the spokesperson said.
“As a family-owned company, Niagara has a long history of environmental sustainability and innovation in packaging, including reducing the plastic in its cap, bottle and label over the last 30 years by 70% through lightweighting and introducing label-free bottles in the US,” the spokesperson said.
In mid-April Niagara declined to comment on the status of the plant.
rPlanet Earth shut down in late summer last year, one of several PET recyclers to reduce or close operations, for an estimated total 25% loss of US RPET processing capacity over about 18 months.
In recent months, stakeholders have offered both short- and long-term solutions to support the industry and groups including the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) have testified before federal officials and lobbied federal lawmakers.
And this week at the Texas state recycling conference, Joaquin Mariel of Circular Services, detailed how MRF operators can help support the struggling industry. However, private industry has moved to shore up supply chains and establish or expand vertical integration, including additional investment from Mexican Coke bottler Arca Continental and hauler Republic Services‘ first venture into producing RPET flake.
APR owns Resource Recycling, Inc., publisher of Plastics Recycling Update.
