PSRA, R3vira partner to expand EPS recycling in Mexico

The Polystyrene Recycling Alliance (PSRA), a self-funded initiative of the Plastics Industry Association, has announced a strategic partnership with R3vira, a Mexico City-based organization focused on community-driven polystyrene (PS) recovery across Latin America’s largest metropolitan area.

The Washington-based PSRA says the collaboration supports its broader mission to enable a more robust circular economy for PS across North America. By investing in proven collection and processing systems, the organization says the initiative demonstrates how PS can be recovered, recycled and reused when infrastructure and end markets are in place.

Additionally, the partnership will allow R3vira to double the collection capacity of its unique microroute system from 12-24 active pathways, increasing recovery and recycling of high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) and expanded polystyrene (EPS) this year.

“Expanding access to recycling is essential to enabling true circularity for polystyrene,” says Justin Riney, chair of the PSRA. “This partnership with R3vira reflects the practical, infrastructure-focused solutions our coalition works to advance—solutions that meet communities where they are and demonstrate how polystyrene can be collected, recycled and returned to the market as a valuable resource.

“By pairing strong end markets with innovative, community-based collection models, we’re showing that polystyrene can play a meaningful role in a more inclusive and scalable circular economy.”

PSRA says its investment specifically will support critical infrastructure enhancements, including densification equipment, expanded warehouse facilities and workforce development across all 16 boroughs of Mexico City. The organization notes that through R3vira’s partnership with Mexican PS manufacturer and supplier Resirene, recovered materials will undergo complete closed-loop processing to produce U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved recycled PS resin for direct reintegration into new packaging applications.

“Partnering with the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance allows us to build on the collection systems we’ve developed over the past five years and take them to the next level,” R3vira founder and Director Martha Melesio says. “With PSRA’s support, we can significantly increase polystyrene recovery volumes, strengthen reliable end market pathways and continue creating stable, local jobs tied directly to recycling operations across Mexico City. This collaboration demonstrates how circular economy solutions can deliver both environmental impact and economic opportunity at the community level.”