The growth of the culture of separation and recycling in Mexico is experiencing a historic moment. The civil association ECOCE, a leader in environmental education and circular economy, celebrated the expansion of PetStar, the world’s largest food-grade PET recycling plant.
This expansion represents not only an unprecedented technological advancement in the country, but also the tangible result of more than 20 years of social transformation driven by ECOCE.
Waste Generation and PET Potential
According to data from INEGI and SEMARNAT, each person in Mexico generates around one kilogram of waste per day, of which between 12% and 14% corresponds to plastics. However, not all have the same recovery potential.
PET (plastic identified with the number 1) is the most recycled material in Mexico and has the most consolidated value chain. This development has allowed world-class projects like PetStar to operate and expand, while other resins still face challenges in transitioning to truly circular models.
ECOCE: Education and Citizen Co-responsibility
Since its creation, ECOCE has built an ecosystem based on:
- Environmental education.
- Citizen co-responsibility.
- Collaboration with governments and companies.
This work has strengthened waste separation in millions of homes, schools, and communities, generating the volume and quality necessary for infrastructures like PetStar to grow and operate on a global scale.
PetStar Expansion: Figures and Achievements
The new phase will allow PetStar to increase its annual capacity of food-grade recycled resin from 50,000 to 86,000 tons, from the collection coming from its operational centers throughout the country.
The environmental impact is one of the most significant in Latin America:
- Processes 5.5 billion bottles per year, equivalent to filling the Azteca Stadium 4.5 times.
- Has been certified Zero Carbon Footprint since 2020.
- Recycles 60% of the water used.
- Allows PET bottles to have “infinite lives”, avoiding the production of new plastic.
Throughout its history, PetStar has collected more than 86.3 billion bottles and produced more than 820,000 tons of recycled resin.
Circular Economy: Myths and Realities
For ECOCE, these achievements confirm that sustained environmental education transforms entire systems. Jorge Terrazas, the organization’s general director, explained that the circular economy seeks to keep materials in use for as long as possible, integrating strategies like reduction, redesign, reuse, and recycling.
The director also debunked some myths:
- “Recycling doesn’t work”: it does work when the system operates in an articulated manner.
- “If the collection rate drops, the system failed”: rates fluctuate for economic or regulatory reasons.
- “The circular economy means eliminating plastics”: it actually integrates reduction, redesign, reuse, and recycling.
Challenges and Actor Articulation
Terrazas emphasized that for the circular economy to advance, all actors must move at the same pace:
- Citizens separating correctly.
- Local governments ensuring proper collection.
- The industry redesigning and demanding recycled content.
- Recyclers operating efficient chains.
- Authorities regulating based on science.
When one of these links lags, the entire system loses efficiency.
ECOCE 2.0: System Articulator
ECOCE, founded and sponsored by the beverage and food industry, fulfills the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging management. With ECOCE 2.0, the organization connects industry, government, academia, recyclers, and citizens to drive evidence-based solutions.
Beyond global challenges, source separation remains essential: each correctly separated package can be reincorporated into the production cycle instead of ending up in dumps or natural ecosystems.
Mexico has infrastructure, experience, and committed actors. The challenge now is to align all sectors so that materials truly circulate and the country moves towards a more sustainable and efficient model.
With this new chapter, ECOCE reaffirms its commitment to promoting a robust, informed, and co-responsible circular economy, where everyone can say: “I decide. I separate. I recycle.”
