This Water Company has Achieved Bottle to Bottle Recycling

Turn a plastic bottle into another plastic bottle. That is the gold standard for recycling. However, doing so in practice is harder than it sounds. As it turns out, plastics are very complicated. 

Now, according to The LA Times, the family-owned beverage and water company, Niagara Bottling, has purchased a massive one-of-its-kind recycling and packaging facility in California that will enable it to turn plastic bottles into plastic bottles. 

“We’re proud to bring this facility back to life and become one of the few companies in the country with a true bottle-to-bottle process,” Rali Sanderson, president of Niagara Bottling told the LA Times.

“As part of this work, we’re investing in new equipment so we can turn recyclable plastic materials into new bottles, right here in California. This restores a vital recycling operation for the community, making sure even more plastic containers are recycled and get a second life.” 

Introducing rPlanet Earth
The material that is processed at Niagara’s new recycling plant comes from what is referred to as B-bales. These originate in mixed-recycling curbside bins and that mix makes the material difficult to sort and process. This is at a time when PET, one of the most commonly used plastics, has overtaken aluminum as the most recycled material in California. 

Niagara’s recycling center, called rPlanet Earth, however, is able to clean, sort, and process PET into high-quality recycled plastics and pellets, which in turn, are then turned into packaging for Niagara products. 

“More than a feel-good slogan or green label, Niagara is making a tangible investment in California’s closed-loop recycling economy,” said  Mark Murray, executive director of the environmental group Californians Against Waste.  

According to Recycling Today, Niagara Bottling estimates that the plant will process 45 million tons of plastic annually. This is huge for an industry which has seen some losses over the past year or so. Seven PET reclaimers closed their doors from the beginning of 2025 to mid-2026. And now, Niagara Bottling is bringing one of them back to life. 

An Environmentally Friendly History
Niagara Bottling has always had a history of making strides toward becoming more environmentally friendly. Over the last 30 years it has managed to reduce 70 percent of the amount of plastic in its caps, bottles and labels. It has managed to do this by lightweighting and by using label-free bottles in the United States. 

It is now continuing that trend by choosing to invest in recycling when other companies may have given up on it. 

Recycling and creating a circular economy is key to reducing waste and creating a more sustainable world. It is heartening to see that even when the market seems to have turned against the more complicated aspects of recycling, there is one company that is taking the chance to turn bottles into bottles.