Merlin Plastics

What Merlin Plastics does

Merlin Plastics is a privately held Canadian post-consumer plastics recycling company, founded circa 1986 with Tony Moucachen joining in 1989 as its cornerstone leader, headquartered in Delta, British Columbia under the legal entity Merlin Plastics Group Inc. The group operates a vertically integrated B2B platform spanning feedstock collection (commercial pickup, compacting, baling), materials processing (sortation, cleaning, regrinding), conversion (pelletizing, tolling), and finished PCR sales. The core product portfolio consists of post-consumer recycled (PCR) pellets, granules, and regrind/flakes in HDPE (including FDA-grade natural), LDPE, MDPE, PP, PET, and Polyolefin-PP polyblends, sold as substitutes for virgin resin to manufacturers, MRFs, brand owners, and retailers. Supporting service lines include full goods destruction of expired beverage products, used oil container recycling under provincial programs (Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba), and tolling.

The operating footprint comprises the Delta HQ/processing plant, the Gifford (New Westminster) sortation plant described as one of the largest on the West Coast, the Calgary PET processing facility, and US sister companies Peninsula Plastics Recycling Inc. (Turlock, CA), Revital Polymers Inc. (Sarnia, ON), and ORPET (St Helens, OR). Logistics rely on dedicated rail partnerships with Southern Railway of BC, Canadian National Rail, and BNSF, augmented by commercial trucking and in-house commercial pickup services that collect bales, regrind, and scrap from North American suppliers. Pricing is custom and quote-based; GTM is sales-led direct B2B with multi-year contracts.

Merlin differentiates on regulatory credentials (ISCC PLUS, ISO 14021:2016, APR PCR across 14+ SKUs, and FDA Letters of Certification enabling food-contact-grade PCR), on being one of the first North American recyclers to use post-consumer feedstock in FDA resin, and on coverage validated by CBC Marketplace's secret-shopper verification. Strategic partnerships include Nova Chemicals (FDA/PCR capacity expansion), Recycle BC (soft plastics), the Alberta Recycling Management Association (ARMA), the Canada Plastics Pact, and the Polypropylene Food Packaging Coalition. Annual revenue is reported at approximately $180M CAD with 101-250 employees across the group.

Name

Merlin Plastics

Legal name

Merlin Plastics Group Inc.

Website

https://merlinplastics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Merlin Plastics is a privately held Canadian post-consumer plastics recycler, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Delta, BC. It supplies PCR resin, regrind, and processing services to manufacturers, MRFs, brand owners, retailers, and provincial recycling programs across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Recycling (Post-Consumer Resin Manufacturing)

NAICS

Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (326199)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Mechanical Plastics Recycling (Wash/Grind/Flake/Pellet) (IMANAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rigid Plastics Recycling (HDPE/PP, Injection/Blow Molded) (EUAIAKAF), Reprocessed Resin & Recycled Polymer Compounding (PCR/PIR Compounds) (IMANAMAG), Post-Consumer Plastic Collection & Sorting (MRF/PRF, Bale Supply) (EUAIAKAA), Recycled Resin Trading & Distribution (PCR/PIR Commodity Markets) (EUAIAKAK)

Keywords

• Post-consumer plastic recycling
• Recycled plastic resin
• Polymer pelletizing
• Plastic regrind and flakes
• Waste management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Delta

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Post-Consumer Resin (PCR) Sales: Processing post-consumer plastic into recycled pellets/resin (HDPE, LDPE, MDPE, PP, PET, Polyolefins) and selling to manufacturers as an alternative to virgin resin. Includes FDA-grade natural PCR.
2. Regrind/Flakes Sales: Selling processed plastic regrind and flakes from various plastic types including PET, HDPE, LDPE, PP.
3. Tolling Services: Providing specialized equipment and technology for tolling needs where customers provide specifications and Merlin processes to match their quality requirements.
4. Commercial Pick-up Services: Offering commercial pickup services to assist businesses in returning recyclable materials to proper facilities.
5. Used Oil Container Recycling: Processing oil containers as part of provincial recycling programs (Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) in partnership with ARMA and other recycling associations.
6. Full Goods Destruction: Secure destruction of expired beverage products (glass, plastic, metals, PET) in an environmentally friendly manner.
7. Compacting and Baling Services: Collecting and compacting plastics, paper, polycoat, gabletop, cardboard, tin, aluminum and other materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Merlin Plastics operates a vertically integrated post-consumer plastics recycling business that collects, sorts, regrinds, pelletizes and quality-tests post-consumer and post-industrial plastic materials, selling Post-Consumer Resin (PCR) pellets and granules, PET regrind and flakes, and offering related processing services (pelletizing, regrinding, tolling, compacting and baling, commercial pickup, recycling and sorting, full goods destruction, and provincial used oil container recycling) to manufacturers, brand owners, retailers, MRFs and provincial recycling programs across Canada and the US.

Product overview

Merlin Plastics is Canada's leading plastics recycling company operating as a B2B manufacturer of post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic resin. The company operates a vertically integrated model encompassing collection services (commercial pickup, baling), materials processing (sorting, regrinding), conversion services (pelletizing, tolling), and finished product sales. The core product portfolio consists of Post-Consumer Resin (PCR) pellets and granules in multiple polymer types including HDPE (FDA-grade natural, non-FDA natural, mixed color, opaque, injection grade), LDPE (natural/clear, mixed color), PP (black, mixed), PET (green, clear/white), MDPE, and Polyolefin-PP polyblends. Supporting products include PET regrind/flakes in various color grades. Services include pelletizing, regrinding, recycling & sorting, compacting & baling, commercial pickup, tolling, full goods destruction, and provincial used oil recycling programs (Alberta, BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba). The company supplies recycled resin to manufacturers as an alternative to virgin resin for producing consumer and industrial goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Post-Consumer Resin (PCR) Pellets Post-Consumer Resin (PCR) pellets in HDPE (FDA-grade natural, non-FDA natural, mixed color, opaque, injection grade), LDPE (natural/clear, mixed color), PP (black, mixed), PET (green, clear/white) and Polyolefin-PP polyblend (black, mixed), sold to manufacturers as an alternative to virgin resin for producing consumer and industrial goods.
• Post-Consumer Granules (PCG) Post-consumer Medium Density Polyethylene granules (MDPE PCG) sold to industrial customers for further processing and manufacturing applications.
• PET Regrind and Flakes Post-consumer PET material processed into regrind or flake form for further recycling into resin pellets, available in green, green-mixed, clear, and clear-mixed grades.
• Recycling & Sorting Services Commercial recycling and sorting services for post-consumer and post-industrial materials from curbside collection (blue bins) and commercial/industrial waste, available to companies, MRFs, and industrial manufacturers in Canada and the US.
• Pelletizing Services Specialized equipment and technology for converting post-consumer and post-industrial plastic materials into pellets across PET, PP, HDPE, LDPE, MDPE and Polyolefins, with capability to add additives and match customer spec requirements.
• Regrinding Services Specialized regrinding services for Purgings, PET, PP, PE, Film, cardboard, pails and other plastic and packaging materials.
• Tolling Services Tolling services that use Merlin's equipment to process materials supplied by customers to their specifications and quality requirements for manufacturing production.
• Compacting & Baling Services Collection, commercial compaction and baling of plastics, paper, polycoat, gabletop, cardboard, metals (tin, aluminum) and plastics (#1–#7).
• Commercial Pick-up Services Commercial pickup services that collect consumer recyclables from supplier and customer sites and return them to Merlin Plastics processing facilities.
• Full Goods Destruction Services Environmentally friendly destruction of expired beverage products (glass, plastic, metals, PET) in a secure manner for brands and manufacturers.
• Provincial Used Oil Container Recycling Programs Oil container recycling under the Alberta Used Oil Materials Recycling Program with ARMA and equivalent provincial programs in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, processing used oil plastic containers into resin pellets since 2011.

Quantifiable outcome

• CBC Marketplace verified that Merlin Plastics actually recycled the material when secretly tracked, while other companies did not
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nova ChemicalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNova Chemicals collaborated with Merlin Plastics to expand Merlin's FDA application and production capabilities for post-consumer resin (PCR). This partnership focuses on expanding the supply of FDA-grade recycled plastic materials.
• Recycle BCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Recycle BC and Merlin Plastics on soft plastics recycling collection and processing. Impact of this collaboration highlighted in news coverage about soft plastics recycling testing in capital region.
• ARMA (Alberta Recycling Management Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerlin Plastics is an approved processor for the Alberta Used Oil Materials Recycling Program. Works in conjunction with ARMA adhering to Program Requirements set forth for transparency.
• Interchange Recycling (BC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBC provincial used oil recycling program partner for processing used oil plastic containers.
• SARRC (Saskatchewan Used Oil Recycling)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaskatchewan provincial used oil recycling program partner.
• MARRC (Manitoba Used Oil Recycling)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManitoba provincial used oil recycling program partner.
• Southern Railway of British ColumbiaminorOthersRail logistics partner that works with Canadian National Rail and BNSF to deliver materials across North America.
• Canadian National RailminorOthersRail network partner for cross-Canada freight delivery.
• BNSF RailwayminorOthersUS rail network partner for cross-border freight delivery.
• Association of Plastic RecyclerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTony Moucachen serves on the board of directors. Merlin Plastics participates in APR initiatives including Canada Plastics Pact 2025 goals for circular economy.
• Canada Plastics PactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerlin Plastics joined the Canada Plastics Pact to constructively participate with like-minded leaders and work towards a circular economy ensuring packaging does not end up in the natural environment.
• Polypropylene Food Packaging CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerlin Plastics joined industry coalition to advance circularity of polypropylene food packaging, helping with creation of PP food packaging.
• Peninsula Plastics (Sister Company)minorOthersSister company based in California, part of Merlin Plastics Group of Companies.
• Revital Polymers (Sister Company)minorOthersSister company based in Sarnia, Ontario, part of Merlin Plastics Group of Companies.
• ORPET (Sister Company)minorOthersSister company based in Oregon, part of Merlin Plastics Group of Companies.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management (WM Recycling): Largest North American waste hauler with substantial recycling and commodity-resin operations. Competes with Merlin for feedstock, MRF throughput, and PCR offtake relationships with brand owners.
• Republic Services (Recycling Division): Major North American waste and recycling services provider. Overlaps with Merlin through MRF sorting, curbside collection, and PCR sales but as part of a much broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Strategic Materials: North American glass and plastics recycling company producing recycled cullet and PCR flakes/pellets. Directly comparable in mixed-stream MRF feedstock and downstream processing.
• MBA Polymers: Engineering plastics (ABS, PC, PA, etc.) recycler producing recycled resin from end-of-life durable goods. Comparable in mechanical recycling into pellets and tolling services to manufacturers.
• KW Plastics: The largest plastics recycler in North America, producing PCR HDPE and PP from post-consumer containers. Directly comparable given overlapping PCR pellet product lines, US-based operations, and scale.
• Clean Tech Inc. Stainless-steel, non-food-contact HDPE reclaimer based in the US. Closely comparable HDPE PCR pellet focus and direct competition for recycled-resin customers.
• Envision Plastics: PET recycling company producing food-grade rPCR resin under the EcoPrime brand. Direct competitor in FDA-grade PCR pellet market serving FMCG and packaging customers.
• CarbonLite: PET bottle-to-bottle recycler producing food-grade rPET pellets. Comparable in PCR pellet production targeting food-contact applications and brand-owner customers.

Emerging players

• Bantam Materials International: Post-consumer HDPE and PP recycler. Niche direct peer focused on bottle and rigid packaging PCR comparable to Merlin's HDPE/PP product lines.

Regional players

• Visy Recycling: Australian-headquartered recycling arm of Visy Industries operating MRFs and PCR processing. Operates similar vertically integrated collection-to-PCR model but in different geographies (Asia-Pacific).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/merlinplastics
• Facebookfacebook.com/merlinplastics
• Instagraminstagram.com/merlin_plastics

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Merlin Plastics