Soft plastic is a bad thing jamming analyzersslip through the processing lines, and destroy the environment. They are also not accepted in most municipal curbside recycling programs.
Recycling facilities for these types of plastics exist, but getting waste to these areas clean and free of what some call “desirable recyclables” (compostable cups, plastic containers) is a challenge that Most soft plastics, even the recycled bags in front of grocery stores, end up in the trash.. SPC is what Arbouzov calls a “recycling device,” designed to streamline this process and provide contained, traceable, and more likely plastic to make it through the system.
I tried to imagine how the blocks would turn into patio furniture, as advertised, but I didn’t learn how until several months later, when Arbouzov sent me a video of the blocks at their final facility – a facility in Frankfort, Indiana, that processes polyethylene and polypropylene films. Blocks are cut into similar pieces, at least in video, wet newspaper magazines, which are pressed into composite decorations, chairs, garden edging, and more.
Courtesy of Clear Drop
Courtesy of Clear Drop
“The complete cycle from delivering the block to entering the recycling process takes a few weeks,” Arbouzov said, “depending on the time of shipment and assembly schedules.” Right now, the Frankfort area is the only block processing facility, but Arbouzov said he hopes this is only temporary.
“Our goal is to move this processing closer to where the material is produced, so blocks can move in bulk through regional recycling infrastructure rather than through mail-based facilities,” he said. “The mail return system is basically a bridge that allows material to be captured today while that massive infrastructure is growing.”
Cleaning, Reconnecting
I found that my household of three was able to deliver a nursery every couple of weeks, which exceeded the allotted supply of mail. As blocks began to pile up on my office floor, I found myself wishing that SPC would make something useful for users. Spoons, straws, 3D printing filament… anything that can be used at home.
However, Greenpeace’s 2023 report found that recycling plastic can actually make it more toxic than it already is—heating it can not only cause existing chemicals to escape into the air and water supply, but even create new ones, like benzene. What? would i want this in my home? Is recycled plastic an asset of the circular economy? I asked Arbouzov what he thought.
