Oregon Brewers Festival and Agilyx Team Up to Recycle Used Plastic Mugs from Popular Summer Event

PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oregon Brewers Festival teamed up with Agilyx, a world leader in chemical recycling of post-consumer plastics, to recycle festival mugs used during this year's popular event, which took place July 24 through July 27. Throughout the four-day event, over 1,300 pounds of used plastic beer mugs were collected and delivered to Agilyx, effectively keeping this much plastic out of the landfill and creating a fully circular recycling pathway for these polystyrene consumer products. 

Polystyrene was chosen for the festival mugs because it provides cost-effective, high-utility packaging for food service applications. Using Agilyx's chemical recycling process, these used mugs were converted back into their original liquid monomer form at the Regenyx facility in Tigard, a joint venture of Agilyx and Americas Styrenics (AmSty) dedicated to the full circular reuse of post-consumer polystyrene.

The Oregon Brewers Festival required its mug supplier to provide all documentation of the materials used to create the mug, then shared that information with Agilyx, which determined the product could be recycled through its proprietary chemical recycling process. The Festival encouraged attendees onsite and via social media to recycle this year's plastic mugs at blue collection barrels placed at all four entry/exit gates.

"We were so thrilled to partner with Agilyx for the first time this year and recycle thousands of our used beer mugs," explained Mitzi Sugar, a master recycler and the recycling coordinator for the Oregon Brewers Festival.  "As glass is not allowed in Portland parks, and compostable cups are no longer accepted in the city's commercial composting program, polystyrene is the festival's most affordable option for a drinking vessel. Teaming up with Agilyx helped us divert a large quantity of plastic from the landfill, and it's exciting to know that the used beer mugs will be recycled into the same or similar products. The Oregon Brewers Festival is committed to reducing its environmental impact, and we're looking forward to partnering with Agilyx in the years to come!"

"Our collaboration with the Oregon Brewers Festival demonstrates how easy it is for large, multi-day events to reduce waste by choosing a plastic that is amenable to chemical recycling," said John Desmarteau, director of business development for Agilyx. "Additionally, through our partnership with AmSty, we are truly creating a circular pathway for polystyrene. We echo OBF's excitement in diverting thousands of mugs from the landfill. Our innovative process demonstrates how every piece of post-use plastic has value and can be transformed into new, useful products."

In other recycling efforts, the Oregon Brewers Festival:

• Donated all unused beer mugs to Birch Community Services for its Sustainable Families Program, which empowers families with the tools they need to overcome financial difficulty
• Recycled 170 lbs. of clean and dry film plastic bags through Fred Meyer, a participating retailer for the TREX Recycling Program, which turns plastic bags into Earth-friendly TREX composite decking and railings
• Collected 760 lbs. of used cooking oil from the food vendors and recycled it through Oregon Oils, a local biodiesel recycling company
• Composted 1,140 lbs. of food scraps
• Recycled over 2,700 lbs. of cardboard and other recyclable materials

About the Oregon Brewers Festival

The Oregon Brewers Festival, which annually takes place in Portland, Oregon each July, was founded in 1988 as an opportunity to expose the public to microbrews at a time when the craft brewing industry was just getting off the ground. Today, that industry has flourished, with more than 7,000 craft breweries in America, and hundreds in the state of Oregon. At least 50,000 beer lovers annually travel from around the world to attend the Oregon Brewers Festival, which is considered one of the nation's longest-running and best-loved craft beer events. For more information visit OregonBrewFest.com and follow the event @OregonBrewfest on social media.

About Agilyx

Agilyx, based in Tigard, Oregon, is the leader and pioneer in chemically recycling difficult-to-recycle mixed waste plastic streams into high value low carbon circular feedstocks and fuels. The company has developed the first system capable of recycling polystyrene waste into styrene monomer, which is then used to remake new polystyrene ("PS") products. The company also has commercialized a technology that converts mixed plastics to high quality crude oil. From these first to market products, the company has since expanded its product platform into a broad range of customized low carbon chemicals, polymers and fuels. Agilyx is working with waste service providers, municipalities, refiners, and both private and public enterprises to develop closed-loop industrial solutions for mixed waste plastics. For more information, visit www.agilyx.com and follow @agilyx on social media.

About Regenyx
Regenyx uses a chemical recycling process to convert used polystyrene products back to their original liquid form, styrene monomer. New polystyrene products can then be made again without degrading quality or value. This form of circular recycling is known as the PolyUsable™ process. Regenyx is a joint venture equally owned by AmSty and Agilyx Corporation, headquartered in Tigard, Oregon. For more information about Regenyx, visit www.RegenyxLLC.com or follow us on social media.

About AmSty
AmSty is a leading integrated producer of polystyrene and styrene monomer, offering solutions and services to customers in a variety of global markets. AmSty is a member of the American Chemistry Council and its Responsible Care initiative, and is headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas. AmSty is a joint venture equally owned by Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP and Trinseo LLC. Visit www.AmSty.com for more, or follow us on social media.

Contact: Tiffany Keenan, (603) 431-0816, [email protected]

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