Tech to transform plastics recycling

Jul. 20, 2017 - Staff reporter - Innovators Magazine

A new plant that will pioneer the use of innovative technologies to produce recycled plastics has opened in Ohio.The facility, delivered through a partnership between P&G and PureCycle Technologies, will convert polypropylene (PP) plastic into reusable materials for a variety of applications.Kathy Fish, P&G’s Chief Technology Officer, said: “Our approach to innovation not only includes products and packaging, but technologies that allow us and others to have a positive impact on our environment. This technology, which can remove virtually all contaminants and colors from used plastic, has the capacity to revolutionize the plastics recycling industry by enabling P&G and companies around the world to tap into sources of recycled plastics that deliver nearly identical performance and properties as virgin materials in a broad range of applications.”The tech developed by P&G has been licensed to PureCycle. It will begin operating the plant in January next year, with a full-scale plant due to open in 2020. Customers across a range of industries will be able to buy the recycled PP.

“This is a case where a hundred-billion-dollar industry required new technology to meet a compelling, unmet need. Both manufacturers and consumers have signaled a strong preference for recycling plastics, which otherwise pollute oceans, landfills, and other natural places. Until now, recycled PP had limited applications. We’re single-handedly removing those limitations and giving companies the choice to use more sustainable, recycled resins,” added Mike Otworth, CEO of PureCycle Technologies.

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