Micro Recycling Network: January 2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

Converting plastic lids into oil

It was exciting to deliver our first batch of plastic lids and watch the initial process of converting them into oil. After collecting twelve large plastic bags of lids from a couple of apartment buildings in downtown Portland, (see previous posts), we delivered them to Agri-Plas in Brooks, Oregon. We were amazed to see them ground into small chips, the first step in converting them into oil. It was a great feeling to think we played a part in making some oil right here in Oregon.

Agri-Plas has been engaged in the process of converting plastic lids into oil for a couple of years. They will soon have their own equipment to produce crude oil from plastic. In the meantime they send the chips to the equipment manufacturer to be converted into oil. Agri-Plas was formed to recycle agricultural plastics such as nursery pots and trays, ground cover, seed sacks, plastic binder twine, pesticide containers and greenhouse film. By keeping these items out of the solid waste stream, they help keep the air cleaner, use less landfill space and provide a source of material for manufacturers that does not require additional hydro-carbons such as oil and natural gas. They also provide employment for over fifty full-time employees. For more information about Agri-Plas, click here: http://www.agriplasinc.com/

What is Micro Recycling?

Micro Recycling means removing items from the recycling and trash barrels that require special handling. People frequently throw recyclable items into garbage bins. And they throw items into recycling bins that need to be recycled separately. The above photo illustrates several of these items. They include clothing, electronics, Styrofoam, batteries, plastic bags, food and plastic lids. It’s important that we find ways to remove these types of materials from the bins before they’re picked up by the trash haulers and brought to landfills.

About this blog . . .

The goal of the Micro Recycling Network can be summed up in one word: solutions. Our landfills are loaded with millions of tons of items that could easily have been removed from the trash, and been effectively recycled and/or reused. We will be reporting on concepts and solutions dealing with Micro Recycling. Our first project was to begin the process of recovering plastic lids from apartment buildings and converting them into oil. We will introduce you to many other people and companies that are dedicated to improving our recycling techniques in future posts. Contact: Don McCall, ibnpdx@hotmail.com

Volunteer Profile

Apartment residents frequently discard items that can be reused. Sometimes it’s because they’re moving and won’t have enough space in the new apartment. On other occasions, the resident is upgrading an appliance, and they drop the old model in the trash room. If the apartment building takes the time to remove reusable items from the trash, they have a hard time dealing with them. That’s where a volunteer can be very helpful. We would like to introduce you to a micro recycling volunteer: Tim Mowrey. At my building, when I find reusable items in the trash, I call Tim. He comes to the rescue and takes everything to the Union Gospel Mission Thrift Store. On a recent pickup, he salvaged a working TV with remote, several bags of clothing, and a box of very nice pots and pans. In the past couple of years, he has rescued hundreds of items from the landfill.