Rethink Plastic Waste: Challenges and Opportunities

My key learning from the event on June 10th is that plastic waste is a growing problem and a business opportunity. Have you identified your challenging plastic waste at your organization?

At the June 10th Event we heard from 4 guest speakers. They shared their plastic challenges, interesting solutions and new business opportunities in the plastic industry.

Please click here to access a pdf of the slides from the event

Below are some highlights from the event.

• Jim Galvin, President, Legacy Polymers
  – Jim is working with several companies, connecting them to wasted plastic materials that is turned into products.
  

• Joseph Hensel, Chairman, Polyflow
  - Turning plastic into crude oil, gas and diesel. All the plastic from the Cuyahoga River Clean up day was taken to Polyflow for a demo. This new technology closes the loop, turning wasted polymers into hydrocarbons from which new polymers can be made.
  

• Saul Kliorys, Environmental Programs Coordinator, Great Lakes Brewing Company
  - When they started the recycling program, they reduced waste from 4 dumpster to 1/2 dumpster in one week. Challenge - Supplier bag which is paper on the outside and plastic on the inside.
  

• Chris Parkinson, Project Coordinator for Healthy Operations, Cleveland Clinic Office for Healthy Environment
  - Identified a plastic waste that wasn't being recycled because of it's composition. The solution was to capture it separately in a purple recycling bag. The point of disposal had to be clear and unobtrusive in the OR setting. Communication and education are still the biggest challenges.