At the Cleantech Open National Finals, I discovered a company called Rhea’s Factory. I admit, I hadn’t spent much time focused on plastic recycling, but a conversation with the company helped educate me, and piqued my curiosity.
I learned a few important things:
▶ There are two types of recycling: mechanical and chemical.
▶ 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 is a physical process that involves cleaning, drying, and grinding recycled material to produce recycled pellets. Mechanical recycling results in a reduction in quality but it’s the only commercially viable game in town.
▶ 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 breaks down recycled materials back into base chemicals and chemical feedstock. It results in virgin-quality material and has the potential to improve recycling rates and divert plastic waste from landfills and incineration. The catch: chemical recycling is currently energy intensive, has a high carbon footprint, and doesn’t scale. In other words – it’s not ready for prime time.
That’s the problem Rhea’s Factory is attempting to solve. And I hope that they and others achieve the goal of making chemical recycling a reality because – to put it kindly – the current approach is less than ideal.
In any case, Rhea’s prompted me to better understand the state of plastic recycling. What I’ve found opened my eyes. If you want your eyes opened to the state of global plastic recycling check out today’s presentation.
#plasticwaste #plasticrecycling #plastic #singleuseplastic
