Circular Services Opens Florida's First Permitted Food & Beverage De-Packaging Facility

Circular Services has launched the first commercial-scale, permitted food and beverage de-packaging facility in Florida, located in Vero Beach. This new infrastructure allows manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to divert damaged or expired packaged products from landfills and incinerators by separating packaging from organic waste. The facility addresses a critical gap in Florida’s circular economy, providing a sustainable and cost-effective waste management solution for one of the state's largest manufacturing sectors.

Circular Services, the largest privately held recycling and composting firm in the U.S., announced the opening of its Vero Beach facility to process more than 600 tons of food and beverage material weekly. As the only operation of its kind permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), the site offers a local alternative to the high costs associated with traditional landfill disposal and incineration. The system is specifically designed to handle damaged or out-of-date inventory from Florida’s rapidly growing food and beverage manufacturing sector, which has historically lacked large-scale recycling options for packaged goods.

The de-packaging technology functions by mechanically separating packaging materials for recycling while diverting the organic contents to an adjacent composting site. According to David Bahrenburg, Vice President of Organics at Circular Services, this process ensures that organic material remains clean and nutrient-rich for the production of high-quality compost, mulches, and soils. This circular economy approach keeps both the packaging and the food waste in circulation, serving residential and commercial landscaping needs throughout the state.

Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Operating Officer Jessica Long emphasized that the facility provides Florida’s commercial generators with a much-needed local partner to meet sustainability goals. Circular Services already maintains a significant footprint in the state with processing facilities in Greater Tampa, Sarasota, Lee County, and Palm Beach County. By integrating de-packaging with their existing organics recovery network, the company aims to minimize the environmental impact of food waste while supporting the operational efficiency of Florida's food and beverage supply chain.