Missouri city expands recycling capabilities with funding from The Recycling Partnership

A recent investment by The Recycling Partnership (The Partnership) in an upgrade of the Recycle City material recovery facility (MRF) in St. Peters, Missouri, has helped to strengthen the regional recycling system. With new equipment at the Recycle City MRF as well as targeted support from The Partnership’s Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, the city is positioned to recover and recycle more materials.

RELATED: Polypropylene Recycling Coalition releases first annual report

The upgraded facility serves St. Peters, Cottleville and O’Fallon and is expected to recover an additional 100 tons of polypropylene (PP) each year, such as yogurt cups, deli containers and takeout packaging.   

The Partnership launched its Polypropylene Recycling Coalition in the summer of 2020 to address key opportunities in recycling PP, or No. 5 plastic. According to The Recycling Partnership's "2020 State of Curbside Recycling" report, as much as 1.6 billion pounds of PP could be available per year from single-family homes that can be recycled into new products ranging from automotive parts to personal care and food packaging. 

According to the coalition's 2024 annual report, it helped to deploy more than $15 million across 60 grants in its first four years, resulting in new or improved PP recycling access to 48 million people.

PP commonly is used in everyday packaging, yet only 8 percent of this material is recycled annually in the U.S., according to The Partnership. The Recycle City investment addresses two core challenges: limited sorting capability and public participation. Alongside the equipment installation, the city of St. Peters and The Partnership will launch a focused education campaign to help residents understand what is accepted for recycling and how to recycle it properly. The campaign will run through the end of 2025.  

“St. Peters is a clear example of what it takes to strengthen a regional recycling system,” says Cody Marshall, chief recycling officer at The Recycling Partnership, which is headquartered in Washington. “This is not just an equipment upgrade. It’s a commitment to the full system and a proof point that shows investment in local recycling programs pays dividends for the local economy and domestic recycling supply chain.” 

Photo courtesy of The Recycling Partnership/
Dittoe Public Relations

St. Peters and The Partnership have been collaborating since 2024, when more than 20,000 homes in the city and nearby Cottleville received new 95-gallon recycling carts with support from the American Beverage Association and Missouri Beverage Association through the Every Bottle Back initiative. Through that project, the city transitioned from a limited, opt-in bag-based recycling system to a modern, universal cart-based curbside program. 

“The Recycling Partnership’s guidance and expertise were essential in revitalizing Recycle City and beginning a new era of recycling in the St. Peters area,” says Elliot Schneider, the city’s manager for environmental and fleet services. “We have big plans to carry this momentum forward and grow recycling throughout our community.”      

Recycle City held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and public open house to mark the opening of the upgraded facility on July 9. The Partnership and the city will continue to work together through 2025 to support education and participation, according to a news release from The Partnership.