U.S. EPA
America Recycles

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Voice of the Recycling Industry w
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SOLID WASTE ASSOCIATION
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THE RECYCLING
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America Recycles: Innovation Fair
Exhibitor Booklet
NOVEMBER 201 9

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LETTER FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR
Welcome to the 2019 America Recycles: Innovation Fair! We are excited to
showcase innovations that span the recycling system: from research, to education
and outreach, to innovative processing technologies and products. This first-
ever innovation fair features entrepreneurs from across the recycling system
showcasing their innovative products and research.
Exhibitors include not-for-profit organizations, small businesses, Fortune 500
companies, municipalities and local governments, recyclers, technology providers
and many others.
Organizations are using innovative technologies and practices throughout
America's recycling system to increase composting; to reduce food and plastic
waste; to increase glass, furniture, and plastics recycling and reuse; and much
more.
Please make your way around the foyer and the exhibit hall to see sorting robots
that employ artificial intelligence to automate the sorting and processing of material streams, and meet local-
area students with a passion for environmental protection proposing a reusable take-out container program.
You will see products reusing materials, and ways to better reclaim valuable materials. There are also many
innovative educational and outreach campaigns, all of which help to improve recycling across our country.
America Recycles Day®, a Keep America Beautiful national initiative, is the only nationally-recognized day
dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. Each year, on the day and in the weeks
leading up to November 15, thousands of communities and organizations across the country participate by
promoting environmental citizenship and taking action to increase and improve recycling in America.
In addition, EPA invites U.S.-based organizations to sign EPA's America Recycles Pledge. We encourage your
organization to join others that have signed the pledge to work toward a more resilient materials economy.
Visit: www.epa.gov/americarecvcles to take action with other pledge signers to improve America's recycling
system.
EPA thanks our co-sponsors for this event, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Keep America
Beautiful, the Solid Waste Association of America and The Recycling Partnership. This event reflects their
contributions and support.
Sincerely,
Andrew R. Wheeler

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DISCLAIMER
These exhibits and descriptions are for informational purposes only. U.S. EPA does not endorse any of these
entities, products, nor their services.
Exhibitors were selected based on their applications' narratives describing how their innovations addressed
the evaluation criteria: impact, scalability, financial feasibility, and life-cycle approach. Additionally, selected
exhibitors have been grouped in the categories below to assist you in locating exhibits of interest to you.
Category 1 - Concepts, prototypes, or products made completely of recycled content
Category 2 - Technologies, designs, or measurement strategies that promote more effective recycling
Category 3 - Research that advances recycling systems or infrastructure
Category 4 - Innovative materials and products that can be recycled more effectively
Category 5 - Innovative education and communication methods or materials that promote more effective
recycling
RECYCLED/RECYCLABLE - PRINTED ON PAPER THAT CONTAINS AT LEAST 30% RECYCLED FIBER
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Exhibitor List
America Recycles: Innovation Fair Co-Sponsors
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc.
Keep America Beautiful
Solid Waste Association of North America
The Recycling Partnership
Exhibitors
AMP Robotics
AXION
Berry Global
Colgate
Continuus Materials
Critical Materials Institute, Ames Laboratory
CTC Foundation
District of Columbia's Department of Public Works
Don't Waste Durham
Eco Teen Action Network's Plastics Hub
EcoRich
End of Waste Foundation
First Solar, Inc.
Food Rescue
GO Box
Hallotex
Igloo RECOOL
Interior Removal Specialist
Keurig Dr Pepper
Machinex
MariMatic Oy
Maryland Environmental Service
Materials Recovery for the Future
Mattress Recycling Council
MSW Consultants
Nestle Waters North America
Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center
Plastics Industry Association
PourAway
ReCell Center
Recycle Across America
Recycle Coach
RecycleGO
Recyclist
RePolyTex LLC
Revolution
Revolution Systems
SCRAPP
Titus MRF Services
U.S. EPA Small Business Innovation Research
Van Dyk
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Official Co-Sponsors of the America Recycles: Innovation Fair
Category 5: education/communication
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI): Safe, economically sustainable, and
environmentally responsible recycling through networking, advocacy, and education, isri.org
Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) is the Voice of the Recycling Industry™. ISRI members collect,
transport, process and broker valuable, specification-grade recycled commodities used as raw materials by
manufacturers around the globe, including steel mills, foundries, paper mills, consumer-packaged goods
producers, and plastics formulators. Last year, ISRI's members processed 138 million metric tons of materials
that are economically competitive and environmentally friendly manufacturing feedstock alternatives to
carbon-intensive virgin materials.
Successful recycling requires market demand. ISRI is actively working with brand owners, manufacturers,
engineers and designers to promote the use of recycled content in their products, as well as the recyclability
of those products at the end of their life. Launched more than 30 years ago, the ISRI Design for Recycling®
initiative encourages manufacturers to consider the ultimate destiny of their products during the design stage
of a product's development.
Category 5: education/communication
Keep America Beautiful: Three innovative recycling initiatives launched in 2019, kab.org
Keep America Beautiful annually sponsors America Recycles Day on November 15.
America Recycles Day (ARD) is a collaborative effort of businesses, organizations, and individuals to
collectively promote and celebrate the benefits of recycling. Across the nation, recycling collection events are
held to encourage individuals to become everyday recyclers. KAB encourages innovation fair participants to
sign the individual pledge and commit to recycling. KAB is showcasing three innovative recycling initiatives
launched this year. The first is a partnership to provide recycling infrastructure and messaging at playground
builds in underserved neighborhoods across the United States. The second is an innovative program to
collect 50 and 100ml bottles. Such miniature plastic bottles are a commonly littered item and due to their size,
represent recycling challenges when collected as mixed recyclables. KAB is launching a collection project
in communities throughout Massachusetts to collect and potentially recycle these containers. Finally, KAB
is showcasing the KAB Stand for the Land program, which has distributed 10,000 cigarette butt collection
stands. The program includes a partnership with TerraCycle to recycle the collected cigarette butts, turning
the plastic recycled from the filters into usable products.
Category 5: education/communication
Solid Waste Association of North America: Educating the public about recycling through
education, advocacy, and research, SWANA.org/Recycle
The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) is an organization of more than 10,000 public and
private sector professionals with the core purpose to advance the responsible management of solid waste as
a resource. Through education, advocacy and research, SWANA has supported municipal solid waste leaders
and their private sector partners, informed local, state and national leaders of the value of recycling and how
to support it and helped to guide the national narrative on recycling. One of the biggest challenges facing
recycling over the past two years has been the proliferation of misinformation about the state of the recycling
industry and the perceived futility of making change. SWANA has developed resources to help correct that
view, such as a "Myths vs. Facts" one-pager that succinctly refutes some of the most commonly asserted
myths about recycling.
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Category 5: education/communication
The Recycling Partnership: Non-profit that leverages corporate funding to transform recycling,
recyclingpartnership.org
The Recycling Partnership is a national non-profit organization that leverages corporate partner funding to
transform recycling for good in cities and towns all across America. As the only organization in the country
that engages the full recycling supply chain from the corporations that manufacture products and packaging
to local governments charged with recycling to industry end markets, haulers, material recovery facilities, and
converters, The Recycling Partnership positively impacts recycling at every step in the process.
The Recycling Partnership has served more than 1,300 communities with tools, resources and technical
support, helped place nearly 600,000 recycling carts, reached 60 million households, and helped companies
and communities invest more than 55 million dollars in recycling infrastructure.
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Exhibitors
Category 2: technologies
AMP Robotics™: Advanced artificial intelligence guided robotics, amprobotics.com
AMP Robotics™ is transforming the economics of recycling using advanced artificial intelligence (Al) guided
robotics. The company's high-speed industrial robotics system, AMP Cortex™, precisely automates the
identification, sorting and processing of material streams to extract maximum value for businesses that
recycle municipal solid waste, electronic waste (e-waste) and construction and demolition materials. The
AMP Neuron™ Al platform operates AMP Cortex using advanced computer vision and machine learning to
continuously train itself by processing millions of material images within an ever-expanding neural network
that experientially adapts to changes in a facility's material stream. AMP Insights™ captures material stream
data providing insights and important alerts via a web-based application for operators so they can optimize
their recycling processes even further.
Category 1: recycled products
AXIOM: Composite rail ties and construction products sourced from waste, axionsi.com
Axion Structural Innovations LLC ("AXION") engineers, manufactures and markets ECOTRAX® composite rail
ties and STRUXURE® composite construction infrastructure products, such as heavy-lift crane foundations.
AXION's products use 100% recycled polymers and polymer composites. The recycled polymer raw materials
for AXION's products are sourced from high-quality post-consumer and engineered post-industrial waste
streams that would otherwise be sent to landfills. AXION's products provide improved long-term value,
superior performance, consistent properties over time, reduced maintenance costs, and feature a closed-loop
life cycle in comparison to conventional materials.
Category 4: innovative materials
Berry Global: Sustainable packaging solutions, berryglobal.com
Berry is focused on providing packaging solutions which deliver on sustainability without sacrificing on
performance. As a longstanding leader in packaging, Berry has the expertise to deliver on this promise.
Examples of this execution include recyclable, high-performing films, substrate conversions to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions, increased use of post-consumer recycled content in packaging, and lightweight
options across packaging lines. Recent advancements include Verdant: a complete line of packaging for
personal care which contain between 25-100% post-consumer recycled content, many of which are also
recyclable; Entour: high-performing, recycle-ready flexible films for packaging; and Versalite: a widely
recyclable cup for foodservice which has thermal management properties similar to expanded polystyrene
(EPS) foam.
Category 4: innovative materials
Colgate: Recyclable toothpaste tube, colgatepalmolive.com
As part of Colgate's efforts to have all products use recyclable packaging by 2025, the company has
developed a recyclable toothpaste tube, and is also working with The Recycling Partnership and other
stakeholders to address industry acceptance of tubes in the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) bottle stream.
The new tube, which took five years to develop, will roll out in the United States beginning late this year under
its natural products brand, Tom's of Maine.
A global leader in toothpaste, Colgate recognized the need to address the problem of toothpaste packaging
recyclability. Most toothpaste tubes are made from sheets of different plastics, often sandwiched around a
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thin layer of aluminum that protects the toothpaste's flavor and active ingredients; however, it is impossible
to recycle through conventional methods. As a result, over 25 billion toothpaste tubes are landfilled or are not
managed properly Colgate's new recyclable tubes will debut across its brands and regions within the next
five-and-a-half years.
Category 1: recycled products
Continuus Materials: Composite building material from mixed paper and plastic,
continuusmaterials.com/
The Continuus Materials company's recovery and upcycling platform is a large-scale closed loop solution that
can lead the implementation of broad-scale circular economies in the U.S. and around the world. Continuus
produces an engineered composite building material from a proprietary blend of plastic and cellulose fiber,
sourced from post-industrial and post-consumer waste streams called EVERBOARDTM. This proprietary
system recovers and separates materials that are pervasive, broadly used and problematic - the mixed papers
and plastics that by virtue of their highly engineered nature are almost impossible to recycle from the broader
waste and recycling streams. Economic benefits are two-fold. One, EVERBOARD is competitively priced with
construction boards like gypsum and oriented strand board that are the primary materials used in building
construction. Two, by using the "fluff" from materials recovery facilities, this product will reduce landfill costs
and space.
Categories 2: technologies, 3: research
Critical Materials Institute, Ames Laboratory: Acid-free hydrometallurgical process for recovering
rare earth elements from e-wastes, cmi.ameslab.gov
This technology is a novel acid-free hydrometallurgical process for recovering rare earth elements (REEs) from
electronic wastes (e-wastes). Unlike acid-based processes, this innovative technology employs oxidative
dissolution to leach REEs from e-wastes using a water-based neutral solution of copper (II) salts. A unique
feature of the technology is selective acid-free dissolution of REE-bearing alloys in e-wastes.
This technology offers an easily-deployable process for recycling REEs, reducing reliance on mining. It offers
clear opportunities for significant revenue generation and eliminates the need for supplies, containment, and
disposal of hazardous acids, while resulting in 99.9% pure REEs and 98% efficiency. Applied to e-wastes, the
process selectively dissolves REE metals, leaving other valuable components for further recycling. Reinsertion
into the supply chain has been demonstrated by using the recycled REEs to make new products.
Categories 2: technologies, 3: research
CTC Foundation: High-temperature gasification of unsorted plastics to yield a syngas,
ctcfoundation.org
Cumulatively, 8.2 billion tons of all kinds of plastics have been produced from 1965 to date, with current
annual world production of 335 million tons expected to quadruple by 2050. Overall, only 9% of plastics are
recycled, and 12% are incinerated, with the remaining 79% entering landfills or oceans. Using conventional
steelmaking high-temperature technology can thoroughly transform all unsorted plastics into a very pure
synthesis gas, or syngas, which is a combination of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, small quantities of carbon
dioxide and other trace gases and has 50% of the energy density of natural gas. It cannot be burned directly,
but it can be used as a fuel source or to produce other chemicals. The gasification process is sustainable
since a new product is created from a waste stream; it is non-polluting; and nothing goes to the landfill.
A circular model requires innovation, a shift from fossil fuels to recurrently available, sustainable inputs.
This end-of-life solution — high-temperature gasification — yields a syngas that is usually lower cost than
conventional fuels for making plastics. Almost nine million dollars from private and public sources have been
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invested into this technology. The most recent pilot proved that REEs could be extracted from coal fly ash.
Funding a demonstration is the logical next step for this high-temperature technology that will ultimately be
commercialized. Since this technology is based on modified steel industry electric arc furnaces, the volumes
that can be processed can be as high as 100 tons per hour, and there is no engineering limitation on size.
Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
District of Columbia's Department of Public Works (DPW): Waste Less, Recycle More outreach
campaign, zerowaste.dc.gov
The District of Columbia's Department of Public Works (DPW) proactively implements innovative education
and outreach strategies to reduce contamination, improve the quality of recyclables, and increase the volume
of collected recyclable materials. In FY 2018, DPW introduced foodservice packaging to the list of materials
accepted for recycling and rolled out a multi-media "Waste Less, Recycle More" outreach campaign,
which resulted in a nearly 10% increase in the volume of recyclables collected and an 8% decrease in
contamination. This year, DPW will begin visually inspecting recyclables at its transfer station, reclassifying
contaminated portions of recyclables loads as trash, and using intelligence gained to implement targeted
tagging and outreach campaigns. Combining screening and tagging has the potential to assist DC and other
communities to implement contamination outreach strategies in a targeted, cost-effective way and increased
delivery of higher quality recyclables to MRF partners.
Categories 2: technologies, 3: research
Don't Waste Durham: Demonstrating the role of technology in the advancement of recycling,
dontwastedurham.org
Don't Waste Durham creates solutions to shift society to the mainstream use of reusable packaging. The
ReCirc project shows how durable, Internet of Things (loT)-enabled containers intended for reuse can
travel through the city's recycling infrastructure to be sorted out for wash/sanitization, redistributed back
to companies, and reused. The city identifies adaptations that are necessary to existing infrastructure to
make this logistically possible and to the value chain to make this profitable for manufacturers, MRFs, and
municipalities. ReCirc uses technology to incentivize the recovery of materials through loT/applications, and
it uses robotics and Al to sort through waste, so the project has the potential to improve efficiency in Solid
Waste Management departments, provide cost savings and/or earnings to the local government and business
community, and advance city and county strategic plan objectives. The ReCirc project is a partnership
between Don't Waste Durham, the City of Durham, Sonoco Recycling, and technology sponsors Trilliott and
Impinj.
Category 5: education/communication
EcoTeen Action Network's Plastics Hub: Teen-led project of the Smithsonian Conservation
Commons and the Global Co Lab Network that is proposing a reusable take-out container
program in the DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area, styrofoammom.com/eco-teen-action-
network-proposes-reusable-to-go-box-for-national-landing/
The Plastics Hub is working with mentors and supporters to propose a reusable take-out container program
in the DMV region, starting with the National Landing development - future home of Amazon and Virginia
Tech. The Network presented its proposal to JBG Smith, Crystal City Business Improvement District, and
BMS on July 16, 2019 to positive interest from all parties in pursuing this project.
The implementation of a reusable to-go container system aligns with the top action of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's "Waste Reduction Hierarchy" under source reduction and reuse. This system would
complement National Landing and its unique location and qualities, which could then serve as a replicable
model for expansion to other locations across the region and beyond. The urban atmosphere, brimming
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with new restaurants, recreational spaces and apartments, provides the ideal framework for a reusable to-
go box system. It would connect the rapidly growing community around a deep appreciation for sustainable
development and serve as a catalyst for other sustainable initiatives. The teens envision that this subscription-
based system could become as much of a necessity as a metro card.
Category 2: technologies
EcoRich: Industrial composters that can be used in on-site composting on a large scale,
ecorichenv.com
The EcoRich Elite II line of composters were designed for commercial kitchens and are capable of recycling
anywhere from 25 to 4000 pounds of food waste in one 24-hour cycle. Each feature included with this
machine is specifically designed to minimize labor and maximize output. Operation is simple: the user simply
drops the food waste into the chamber and touches "start cycle." Unloading is just as easy, only requiring the
user to touch "remove compost" with a collection bin ready to catch the falling compost. The process is fully
aerobic, deploying special bacteria in a controlled environment to break down the waste and transform it into
compost. With EcoRich composters, each load of organic material is reduced in volume by up to 90%. This
allows clients to effectively minimize the damaging effects of transporting their food waste with many large
trucks. This saves the user money while also limits the use of fossil fuels. The EcoRich Elite II series is an ideal
way to practice on-site composting on a large scale.
Category 2: technologies
End of Waste (EOW) Foundation: Uses blockchain technology to subsidize losses for MRFs
and glass processors through contributions by environmentally-conscious businesses and
consumers, endofwaste.com
The state of glass recycling in its current iteration is not economically or environmentally sustainable.
Currently, the value of cleaned and sorted glass cullet is approximately 35 dollars per ton, while it costs
nearly 70 dollars per ton to haul and process the material into acceptable manufacturer specifications. In this
economic climate, it's simply more cost effective to throw glass into a landfill rather than process the material
for future use. This one-way stream creates numerous environmental problems and is not an efficient use of
natural resources or energy. In order to address the economic losses associated with glass recycling and give
manufacturers the opportunity to source local cullet, EOW has created a revolutionary new business model
that relies on proprietary blockchain technology and distributed shared responsibility (DSR). This works by
subsidizing losses for MRFs and glass processors through contributions made by environmentally-conscious
businesses and consumers. Currently, 80% of contributions are used to offset negative costs associated with
glass recycling and research and development. This entire process makes glass recycling profitable again for
industry stakeholders.
Category 4: innovative materials
First Solar: Enabling a circular economy through high-value recycling for thin-film photovoltaics,
firstsolar.com
As one of the cheapest sources of new energy generation, photovoltaics (PVs) have emerged as a leading
way to tackle climate change. Developing PV recycling infrastructure will be key to ensuring that today's
clean energy solutions do not pose a future waste burden. First Solar, the largest solar manufacturer in the
U.S., established the industry's first global recycling program. First Solar designs its thin-film PV modules for
high-value recycling to maximize resource recovery at end-of-life, resulting in both virgin material and energy
savings. More than 90% of a First Solar module can be recovered for reuse in new modules, glass and rubber
products. The company's third-generation recycling technology achieves superior glass and semiconductor
purity using 30% less capital, chemicals, waste and labor. With greater economies of scale, PV recycling
could become more economical than landfill with the recoverable value exceeding 15 billion dollars by 2050.
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Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
Food Rescue: A tool that helps students log, personalize, and prevent food waste,
foodrescue.net
Imagine calculating school food waste preservation data instantaneously with a graphic that includes a photo
of the student food waste warrior, along with the amount of meals their work preserved, and number of
pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents that have been prevented from entering the environment as a result of
their work — all in less than 30 seconds. The K-12 Food Rescue Story Graphic Log Tool does exactly that. It
allows students who are leading food waste prevention initiatives in their schools to connect with the impact
of their work on a deeper level. The tool converts rescued pounds of food or food items into meals preserved
and carbon dioxide equivalents prevented. The tool also allows students to take a picture in real time as they
enter their food waste data, and it uses facial recognition technology to place their image into the graphic.
Each entry creates its own story to market within a school district, community, state, and nation. Data is the
gold standard of not-for-profit work, but personalized data in the form of a story is even more valuable for its
ability to motivate behavior change. The tool is already designed and free to use. Students and schools just
need to generate their own link to begin making entries.
Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
GO Box: User-friendly software and durable hardware that empowers food vendors and their
customers to choose reusables that eliminate single-use plastic containers and cups, goboxpdx.
com
The mission at GO Box is to empower reuse systems that eliminate single-use plastic waste. The company
is working to change the single-use status quo with a simple, circular system of user-friendly software and
durable hardware that empowers food vendors and their customers to choose reusables that eliminate single-
use plastic containers and cups. Enjoying food and drink to-go shouldn't come with a side of environmentally
harmful packaging.
Launched in 2011 in Portland, Oregon, GO Box was the first public reuse system in North America. GO Box
continues to lead the growing reuse industry, providing access to clean, durable and sustainable food and
drink ware to nearly 4,000 subscribers and 140 food vendors across its systems in Portland and the San
Francisco Bay area. GO Box has already helped to eliminate over 226,000 single-use containers and cups.
Categories 1: recycled products, 2: technologies
Hallotex: Collects old textiles, shreds the garments and upcycles garments currently viewed as
waste into new textile fibers, theloop.hallotex.com
The Loop™ recycles used garments, textile waste, and obsolete inventory, and turns them into new yarns.
The yarns that Hallotex produces are turned into new clothing, extending the life cycle of fibers, avoiding
apparel waste, and reducing the environmental impact of producing garments. The company's hope is
to support new business models that focus on waste management and circular production through the
licensing of its technology, or investment in re-creating factories in other places where the need is evident.
The garments Hallotex produces are more durable than most recycled garments, due to its ability to preserve
the length of recycled fibers in the shredding process. Less than one percent of all clothing collected is
recycled into new textile fibers. The Loop technology actively reduces the amount of virgin materials five to
20%, increases the reuse and recycling of textile waste, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions 40-60% per
garment.
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Categories 1: recycled products, 4: innovative materials
Igloo RECOOL: World's first cooler made from biodegradable materials, igloocoolers.com
RECOOL, by Igloo, is an environmentally sensitive alternative to harmful single-use EPS foam coolers. Drinks
and food stay fresh and chilled on the go. RECOOL keeps ice for 12 hours and will retain water for up to five
days. It is totally reusable, won't chip or break apart, can hold up to 75 pounds, and doesn't make those
annoying squeaks. EPS (resin code #6), commonly known as Styrofoam, is a petroleum-based plastic used
to make single-use coolers, food service containers, egg cartons, clamshells, and packaging peanuts. EPS
foam is nearly impossible to recycle, and it doesn't break down in the environment. It's estimated that 25
billion EPS products are disposed of each year in the United States alone. Seventy-nine percent of plastic
waste ends up in landfills or in the natural environment. In the ocean, it breaks down into microplastic
particles that are ingested by marine animals, negatively impacting the food chain from sea creatures to
humans. Importantly, once a RECOOL cooler has completed its useful life, it can be recycled, biodegraded, or
composted - all options the single-use EPS products cannot achieve.
Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
Interior Removal Specialist: Furniture removal and recycling program, irsdemo.com
To keep office spaces looking fresh, many tenants in high-rise buildings move every five to seven years.
Rather than have their staff work in a construction zone, they simply rent, build out, and furnish a new space,
and then move the staff when it is ready. The older furniture and fixtures generally end up in the landfill.
Interior Removal Specialist, Inc. is a commercial interior demolition contractor, waste hauler, and recycling
facility operator with a repeatable program to help stop this waste.
Because of their control of the waste stream, IRS Demo transports, warehouses, and donates 30 to 60 tons
of reclaimed materials worth tens of thousands of dollars every month. These materials go to any non-profit
agency that can use them. This helps the community while decreasing the company's landfill fees.
Categories 3: research, 4: innovative materials, 5: education/communication
Keurig Dr Pepper: Recyclable K-Cup® pods, keurigdrpepper.com
In Keurig Dr Pepper's ongoing efforts to design, source, and manufacture products in support of a circular
economy, the company is committed to making 100% of its K-Cup® pods recyclable by the end of 2020. To
make K-Cup® pods recyclable, Keurig Dr Pepper had to rethink the design with a second life in mind. The
original single-serve coffee pod is made with polystyrene, which has limited recyclability. By redesigning the
pod to use polypropylene (#5 plastic), the company is enabling a more circular flow of materials where the
value drives reuse: the coffee grounds can be composted, the used containers collected and recycled, and
the reclaimed material used to produce plastic bins, pallets, outdoor furniture, and more.
Keurig Dr Pepper's holistic approach to supporting the circular economy encompasses its products and
operations, the recycling industry and many working to improve it, leverages partnerships, and aspires for
continual transparency and innovation. The recyclable K-Cup® pods carry the How2Recycle label to educate
consumers on "recycle right" behaviors.
Category 2: technologies
Machinex: SamurAI®, a sorting robot that employs artificial intelligence to identify materials,
machinextechnologies.com
For over 35 years, Machinex has been developing innovative technologies to design and deliver custom-
made sorting and recycling solutions for Material Recovery Facilities. The latest technology launched by the
company is the SamurAI™, a self-aware sorting robot that employs superior artificial intelligence technology
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to identify materials for accurate, fast and relentless performance. The sorting robot is a crucial technology
to solve the material purity crisis and meet the market requirements, while reducing the dependence on
the workforce in recovery facilities. The SamurAI™ directly contributes to a flourishing circular economy
by sorting the material so precisely, the purity can reach 100%. By integrating a robotic sorter employing
Artificial Intelligence, the facility operator can now base decisions on reliable, real-time data coming from the
MRF. Machinex also offers a full range of high-quality recycling equipment to efficiently sort the commingled
recyclables, such as Optical Sorters, Ballistic Separators, Disc Screens Separators, Balers, Trommels, Glass
Cleanup Systems, Conveyors, and much more.
Category 2: technologies
MariMatic Oy: Pneumatic waste collection system - collects waste via vacuum through
underground pipes, metrotaifun.com/automatic_solid_waste_collection_system/en/
MariMatic Oy demonstrates the convenience of using the unique process of Pneumatic Waste Collection
(i.e., PWC: collecting waste using vacuum through underground pipes), which has had a very positive impact
on waste recycling and, in particular, recycling systems in the U.S. The PWC system allows access to waste
recycling inlets in the immediate area and operates 24 days a week/365 days a year, which dramatically
increases the possibility that residents are willing to adopt a permanent recycling mentality. This produces a
very positive response compared to other existing less convenient, less clean and less logical systems.
Categories 2: technologies, 4: innovative materials, 5: education/communication
Maryland Environmental Service: Variety of innovative and effective recycling programs,
menv.com
Maryland Environmental Service (MES) is an independent, self-supporting state agency that enhances and
protects Maryland's environment through innovative solutions to the region's most complex environmental
challenges. With more than 1,000 projects in the Mid-Atlantic Region, MES is at the forefront of environmental
management solutions. From the reuse of dredged material for habitat restoration to the operation of recycling
facilities, MES provides a variety of innovative and effective recycling programs for Maryland residents.
Category 3: research
Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF): First curbside recycling pilot program
in U.S. to research flexible plastic packaging with other single-stream materials,
materialsrecoveryforthefuture.com
The MRFF program provides leading members of the flexible plastic packaging value chain an opportunity
to collaborate through a shared vision and a focused research program to recover rather than landfill the
evolving ton of packaging. Flexible packaging sustainability benefits include lighter weight, use of less
material, and reduced food waste. It is one of the fastest growing consumer packaging formats, twice the
size of traditionally recycled plastic like polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Currently, in North America, flexible
packaging is not typically accepted in curbside recycling programs. MRFF has launched the first curbside
recycling pilot demonstration in the U.S. to research removing flexible plastic packaging from paper and
making a new feedstock for post-consumer recycled (PCR) building materials and consumer products. The
2019 equipment upgrade at the TotalRecycle MRF in Birdsboro, PA serves as a living laboratory to identify the
best way to collect, sort, and manufacture new PCR products from flexible packaging, improving the quality
of both paper and plastic bales available for domestic end market manufacturing.
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Categories 2: technologies, 3: research, 4; innovative materials, 5; education/
communication
Mattress Recycling Council (MRC): Recycling 1.5 million mattresses a year through Bye Bye
Mattress program, MattressRecyclingCouncil.org
In the U.S., an estimated 15 million mattresses are discarded every year, or an average of 50,000 per day.
More than 80% of mattress components can be recycled, diverting valuable resources from local landfills.
More than 1.25 million mattresses are recycled by MRC annually.
MRC is a non-profit organization formed by the mattress industry to operate recycling programs in the U.S. in
states that have enacted mattress recycling laws. The program is currently running in Connecticut, California
and Rhode Island. Each state's program is funded by a recycling fee collected when a mattress or box
spring is sold. MRC invests in research to identify new end markets to increase recycling rates, improve the
efficiency of used mattress collection and to help MRC's recyclers increase their profitability by identifying
mattress dismantling and recycling best practices.
Categories 2: technologies, 3: research, 5: education/communication
MSW Consultants: The GAP System: a customizable platform for characterizing recyclables,
wasteinsight.net/
MSW Consultants recently developed its Grading and Purity System, (or GAP), a customizable platform for
inputting and analyzing recyclables composition. The GAP System is designed to enable uniform and routine
recyclables audits, allowing program managers and MRF operators better understanding of the makeup of
the recycling stream and contamination levels. This more informed understanding can assist in reducing
contamination and allow for more transparent contract pricing.
The GAP System includes sampling methodology development, on-site management, data analysis, as well
as equipment such as a portable scale, sorting platform, and tablet computer. It also includes a subscription
to MSW's Wastelnsight™, cloud-based platform used to upload data and run analyses.
Category 1: recycled products
Nestle Waters North America: Poland Spring: on track to be the first major bottled water brand in
the U.S. to convert its portfolio to 100% recycled plastic, nestle-watersna.com
Poland Spring® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, America's leading spring water brand, has started the
transition to making its 1 Liter and 1.5 Liter still water sizes with 100% recycled plastic, and plans to be
the first major bottled water brand to reach 100% recycled plastic across its still water portfolio by 2022. In
addition, earlier this year, the brand launched a premium offering, Poland Spring® ORIGIN in 900mL bottles,
which are made entirely of recycled plastic. This is part of Nestle Waters North America's commitment to
achieve 25% recycled plastic across its U.S. domestic portfolio by 2021 and 50% recycled plastic by 2025.
Categories 1: recycled products, 3: research
Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center: The keystone of circular economy, pennrmc.org
The Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC) is an independent, Pennsylvania non-profit corporation
with mission to reduce or eliminate barriers that lead to new expanded end use of Pennsylvania's recycled
materials. The RMC team brings markets development assistance to a near endless list of stakeholders
including entrepreneurs, manufacturers, recycled material processors, recycling programs, haulers, and
agency officials. In operation since 2005, RMC has an affiliation with Penn State and is headquartered at
Penn State Harrisburg with an office in Pittsburgh. Core areas of RMC outreach include feedstock conversion
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pairing, applied research and commercialization assistance; technology acceleration; and service as a
concierge to technical and business growth information. Building and supporting Pennsylvania's $22.6 billion
recycling marketplace, the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center bridges relationships between economic
development and recycled materials supply. Expediting time-to-market of recycled-content products and
related processes, RMC creates circular economy in Pennsylvania.
Category 3: research
Plastics Industry Association: Innovative model for exploring new end market opportunities for
recycled plastics, plasticsindustry.org
The Plastics Industry Association has developed an innovative model for exploring and building new end
market opportunities (NEMO) for recycled plastics through connecting the plastics supply chain to solve
for common challenges. This model has driven impactful projects such as its End of Life Vehicle recycling
project, NEMO for film, ground breaking research on recycled plastics in asphalt, and the Pacific Northwest
Secondary Sorting Demonstration Project. These projects are advancing the circularity potential of a wide
range of plastic products and packaging. The association welcomes everyone's participation in these efforts
and aims to use the Innovation Fair as a way to further connect with potential end users of recycled plastics
and broaden its reach for cross-supply chain stakeholder engagement in these critical efforts.
Category 2: technologies
PourAway: Liquid recycling system that separates liquids from trash before disposal/recycling,
pourawayusa.com
The PourAway liquid recycling system is a state-of-the-art product that gives liquid separation and recycling
functionality to trash receptacles. PourAway products provide the convenience of separating liquids from
trash when disposing of waste. Systems fit any new or existing 23-gallon Slim Jim/Wall Hugger or 32-gallon
Brute trash can. Custom solutions are also available.
PourAway is a two-piece recycling separation system designed with two orifices. The lid and tank are placed
in the opening of any trash container. The system is designed with both a chute orifice that can receive waste
or recyclables and a catch area for liquid waste. When liquid is poured in the sink area, the liquid is funneled
down a drain and stored in a reservoir tank for future disposal. Once the reservoir tank is full, the tank can be
removed, and the waste liquid can easily be discarded or recycled by removing a screw cap and pouring the
liquid content into a sink/drain or proper recycling container. The solid trash or recyclable material is placed in
the trash orifice, and liquid passes directly through the lid and reservoir tank of the receptacle. The solid trash
is directed dry into the trash container. Once the trash container is full, an individual can lift off the lid and
reservoir tank of the trash receptacle and remove the solid trash from the trash container.
Categories 2: technologies, 3: research
ReCell Center: Advanced battery recycling research and development program, anl.gov
As the number of electric vehicles on the roads increases, so too will the number of batteries from these
vehicles that need to be recycled. The current technologies used to recycle these batteries pose a real
challenge to the current infrastructure that takes place with end-of-life vehicles today. The Department of
Energy's Vehicle Technologies Office has created the ReCell center, an advanced battery recycling research
and development program that is a collaboration among Argonne National Laboratory, National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop technologies that profitably recycle
batteries. An economical process is critical to ensure reduced environmental impacts, energy consumption,
and the use of limited natural resources while adding jobs. Importantly, recovering these materials in the
United States bolsters national security by reducing the need to import these energy materials from other
countries.
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Categories 2: technologies, 3: research, 5; education/communication
Recycle Across America: Society-wide standardized labels for recycling bins,
RecycleAcrossAmerica.org
Referred to by The New York Times as "...one of the top environmental fixes taking root today" and deemed
a "world-changing solution" by Ashoka, Recycle Across America has created the first and only society-wide
standardized labels for recycling bins to make it possible for people to recycle properly wherever they are.
As an analogy consider how standardized road signs allow millions of people to drive properly wherever they
are, even when the driving rules change from road to road.
With 10 years of proof and millions of standardized labels displayed on bins throughout the U.S., Recycle
Across America can confidently assert that this is the number one solution to fix the recycling crisis today. The
society-wide standardized labels increase recycling levels 50-400% and often eliminate costly contamination,
thereby improving the quality, quantity, cost, and demand for recycled commodities. Recycle Across America
has created a society-wide standardized label for every unique recycling system and every bin style.
Category 3: research
Recycle Coach: Recycling education made fun, engaging, and memorable, recyclecoach.com
Recycle Coach is a digital solution empowering local U.S. governments to address a critical recycling issue:
contamination. Contamination costs local governments up to $2.OB in lost revenue every year. Curbing
contamination starts with educating residents. Recycle Coach Campaigns deliver recycling education in an
interactive and fun way - often in under a minute. Each Campaign addresses specific problems with the
guidance of Coachlings: four characters who target micro-moments of learning in a dynamic and fun way.
With the library of Campaigns regularly growing to cover more topics, the short and sweet Campaigns are key
in targeting behaviors that contribute to contamination.
Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
RecycleGO: Distributed ledger platform bringing transparency to recycling, recyclego.com
RecycleGO is providing recyclers with a distributed ledger platform that brings transparency to the current
recycling system — using proof of impact to align incentives for all stakeholders behind the objective of
increased diversion rates. For years governments and businesses have had to subsidize recycling and lower
their quality standards to motivate consumer participation, only to send this low-quality material through
inefficient supply chains. While past technologies have increased profitability, RecycleGO aims to leverage
blockchain and other technologies to improve system-wide functionality via increased participation, product
quality and sustainability throughout the product's life cycle. By providing a suite of software that records user
participation on a decentralized, unbiased ledger, RecycleGO will establish accountability in the recycling
system, as well as illuminate achievements and areas for improvement. In this way, stakeholders are able to
align their environmental values with financial profit and infrastructural improvements.
Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
Recyclist: Software that takes a data-first approach to offer real-time visibility into recycling
programs, recyclist.co/
Recyclist's Software is used by cities, counties and waste haulers serving more than six million Americans.
It provides new insights into waste stream data, streamlines outreach and regulatory compliance processes,
and leverages state-of-the-art digital channels to educate residents about recycling. The triple-bottom-
line company is continually innovating new ways to use technology to empower citizens, government and
business with the information they need to reduce waste, maximize diversion, and move the world toward a
more sustainable future. Founded in 2014, Recyclist is certified as both a small business and a disadvantaged
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business enterprise.
Recyclist is challenging the status quo by leading its customers toward a new era in which the waste
and recycling industry reaps the benefits of synced and standardized data, just as industries such as
transportation, health and media have already done. Recyclist's most popular product, the Program Tracker,
takes a data-first approach to optimizing the often-overlooked, but hugely impactful work of municipal
program managers and recycling coordinators, offering real-time visibility into programs so that efforts can be
organized, informed and precisely targeted. The Recyclist product team is continually innovating new features
that reflect the best ideas and best practices from the cities, counties and haulers that use the Program
Tracker.
Categories 1: recycled products, 2: technologies, 4: innovative materials
RePolyTex LLC: Processes mixed plastics into fine powder to create construction products,
repolytex.com
RePolyTex was formed to overcome the challenges that historically have made it impracticable to recycle
mixed scrap plastics in a commercially sustainable manner. RePolyTex has developed and operates a facility
in North Carolina for the processing of mixed plastics that otherwise would be disposed of in landfills or
shipped to other countries. The product resulting from this process is a fine powder. That powder is the
primary ingredient in a manufacturing process that will produce valuable items for use in construction and
other industries. The end product initially will be 4x8-foot sheets of "plastic plywood," and other products will
follow.
On average, plastic represents 40% of the weight of a consumer electronic device. The various polymer
types and additives used in the manufacturing of electronics make this a difficult item to recycle. RePolyTex
offers an unprecedented domestic outlet that can consume each polymer type in this material stream. Many
companies are able to recycle certain polymers, but RePolyTex has developed technologies that make use of
mixtures of previously unusable scrap plastics to make valuable products. This process adds considerable
value to what is currently a net-zero or negative-value material. Because this mixed plastic product will have
an increased value, the overall value associated with recycling consumer electronic devices should increase.
This will encourage recycling of the material, helping to prevent electronic devices from ending up in landfills.
Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
Revolution: Collects and recycles agricultural plastic to create new products,
revolutioncompany.com
Revolution is a global brand unified by a single mission: creating better plastics that help preserve our
environment. Revolution believes in manufacturing products with the highest amount of postconsumer
recycled resin possible through its innovative Closed-Loop System that diverts millions of pounds of plastic
waste from landfills each year. Consumers and companies rely on Revolution to provide sustainable, high-
quality products through its family of brands, including Delta Plastics, Revolution Bag, Rodeo, and Command.
Agricultural plastic includes plastic sheets, rods, tubing, and films used in the cultivation, harvesting and
processing of agricultural products, as well as plastics used in equipment and machinery for bins, chutes,
liners and hoppers. Revolution collects agricultural plastic that previously was often sent to landfills, cleans
and washes that material, and then manufactures it back into a variety of applications, such as carryout
reusable bags, trash can liners, sheeting in industrial markets, and agricultural film. Since its beginning,
Revolution has diverted over 1.5 billion pounds of plastic waste material from landfills.
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Category 2: technologies
Revolution Systems: Equipment that brings recycling to smaller communities,
RevolutionSystems.net
The Revolution sorting system brings sustainable, convenient recycling to smaller communities that are
far from large recovery facilities. Applying manufacturing best practices to sorting, the system is 30-50%
more productive, takes 30% of the space and costs one-third of competing systems. Installed strategically,
Revolution equipment eliminates the need for transfer stations and the associated transportation costs to take
collected recyclables to distant MRFs. This saves 25 to 50 dollars per ton (more in remote areas). Additionally,
the convenience of local sorting eliminates the environmental impact of transfer trucks and the associated
"dead leg" back to the transfer station. It also ensures that the residue collected is sent to a local landfill
instead of a distant one, further reducing carbon footprint and cost. In addition, each Revolution creates
between six and 15 local jobs. The Revolution is sorting made simple: convenient, affordable and sustainable.
Categories 2: technologies, 5: education/communication
SCRAPP: A cloud-based, consumer-led initiative to increase participation in recycling,
https://youtu.be/mvQTvNdWtN U
Three students from the University of New Hampshire with a passion for sustainability have devised a cloud-
based (loT), consumer-led initiative called "SCRAPP" that will increase participation and efficiencies of
current recycling methods. SCRAPP adds three retrofitted components to existing recycling dumpsters. In
return for recycling their solid municipal waste, consumers are given reward points via a cloud-based app.
Using a QR code identifying each bin, consumers scan with their smartphone to verify their waste deposits
through the application. Incorporating a competitive element and reward-based system has been proven
by research to increase consumer engagement. Monitoring of this engagement can help analyze recycling
patterns, separating waste at the source to save energy in processing, and increase efficiencies in the
collection methods. The ease of accessibility of a smart phone device can be used to increase awareness of
environmental issues, educate consumers of correct recycling techniques and compare district performances.
Category 2: technologies
Titus MRF Services: Secondary MRF to address sorting limitations at primary MRFs,
titusmrfservices.net
Titus MRF Services invented the secondary MRF to address the sorting limitations related to economies of
scale at existing primary MRFs. Titus's solution is to build regional secondary MRFs to process residual waste
and any other materials that primary MRFs are unable or choose not to sort by material type. Secondary
MRFs aggregate low-volume and difficult-to-recycle materials along with systematic machine yield losses
from a regional network of existing primary MRFs to reach the critical mass necessary to justify investments
in automated technologies for sorting by material type. This allows Titus to increase diversion from landfill and
reduce greenhouse gas generation by displacing virgin materials with recycled content. Secondary MRFs also
provide a domestic sorting solution for mixed plastics, thereby eliminating U.S. reliance on export markets
and reducing the potential for leakage to the marine environment.
Category 5: education/communication
U.S. EPA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program: Source of early capital for
innovative small businesses in the green technology space, epa.gov/sbir/
One of 11 federal SBIR programs launched 30 years ago, EPA's SBIR is the small program with a big mission:
to protect human health and the environment. The mission is big, and the areas of focus are broad: air, water,
land, materials, chemicals and homeland security. Through the years, EPA has been a source of early-stage
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capital for innovative small companies in the green technology arena. The program provides phased funding
to small businesses to develop and commercialize novel environmental technologies.
Categories 2: technologies, 3: research, 5: education/communication
Van Dyk: Newly-built, 18,000-squarefoot Material Test Center to research and improve recycling,
vdrs.com
Van Dyk's Material Test Center demonstrates its commitment to its customers and the environment. Van Dyk
understands the importance of continually researching the sortability of materials and improving the collection
process to achieve purity of recyclable grades. The test center allows customers to experiment with new
equipment and conceive of how to reach and improve their operating goals. It also helps product makers
understand why their product and packaging may not be recyclable, and how to fix that. The test center
helps educate and guide sustainability initiatives toward a greener solution or help those in the municipal
sector familiarize themselves with how a sorting system works. The 18,000-square foot system is the largest
recycling material test center in the world and is fully capable of replicating real in-plant operations. It features
the latest technology in optical sorting, screening separation, and air separation.
EPA PUBLICATION NUMBER: 530K19003

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www.epa.gov/americarecycles

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