Case Study
Saving small-format packaging from landfills

A blueprint for recovering more plastic.

The Challenge

In materials recycling facilities across the country, billions of units of small, rigid plastic packaging such as caps, pill bottles and cosmetics go to waste every year. In some cases, consumers wish-cycle these products which later fall through the cracks at recycling facilities, contaminating the glass stream, and ultimately end up in landfills. The growing plastic waste represents an environmental hazard and a missed opportunity to recover valuable materials. In 2022, Maybelline New York approached us, followed by Kraft Heinz, L’Oréal, P&G, and Target in 2024,to help solve this complex material challenge.

67%

reduction of 2” to 4” plastics observed after installing glass screen

18

months of field work to test material recovery 

75%

of mechanical recyclers engaged were interested in accepting the material

Billions

of units of small-format packaging sent to landfill each year

The Solution

We designed and executed a rigorous research plan, including audits at half a dozen materials recycling facilities including those owned by Circular Services, a Closed Loop Partners company. This in-depth process involved collecting samples from recycling streams to evaluate their contents and assess the market value of materials. Working with facilities on the ground, we developed and tested new equipment to install and recover small-format plastics for the first time.

“We believe scaling these innovations will improve the recyclability of plastic and create a viable end-market for our materials.”

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— Marissa Pagnani McGowan; Chief Sustainability Officer, North America for L’Oréal Groupe

Impact

We made headway recovering small-format packaging by upgrading equipment at a Closed Loop Partners’ material recovery facility which reduced contamination of small plastic packaging (sizes between 2 and 4 inches) by two-thirds. This reduction improved the value of recovered glass and recovered additional plastic with market value.

Additionally, we designed a new equipment configuration to recover even smaller format plastic packaging and built a financial model to understand the opportunity. As part of this process, to prove the economic case, we reached out to mechanical and molecular recyclers across the country and found that three-quarters of those contacted were interested in sourcing this kind of recovered plastic.

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We published these groundbreaking results in 2025, which garnered significant national press and led to multiple requests from brands and recyclers to join the work. We are now moving from research to action, as we prepare to install equipment at a California facility as part of a proof of concept to recover this material at scale. This work will help pave the roadmap for small-format recovery in California, where the adoption of strict new environmental laws (SB54) has catalyzed the business case for urgent action.

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Our Role

Research

  • Material composition and waste audits across facilities
  • Analyzing value of recovered material streams
  • Regional volume mapping and market sizing for target materials
  • Lab testing with reclaimers to determine end market values
  • Exploration of material acceptance criteria, potential pricing, and minimum supply requirements

Design

  • Testing new recycling equipment and designing configurations to increase materials recovery
  • Developing financial models to determine long term viability

Build

  • Preparing to install equipment in California

"It was so important to partner with Closed Loop Partners’ Center for Circular Economy to pioneer solutions for small-format recycling and to help us and the beauty industry accelerate our sustainable transformation."

— Trisha Ayyagari; Global Brand President, Maybelline New York

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We are  part of Closed Loop Partners—which includes the largest privately held recycling company in the U.S. and one of the largest circular economy capital management groups in the world—we’re uniquely positioned to bring research, design, and real-world implementation together.