Home > Resources > Articles > Can plastic recycling be fixed?

Can plastic recycling be fixed?

December 5, 2019

article image
The problem was massive in scale, but Matanya Horowitz, then a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, thought he might have a fix. The year was 2012. Plastic recycling facilities were not only expensive, but also horribly inefficient as most of the waste ended up in landfills. But as he watched artificial intelligence advance autonomous vehicles and facial recognition, Horowitz wondered if AI-powered robots could do the job of human pickers to lower costs and reduce contamination — the bane of recycling. “If you are reducing the cost and can show customers the quality of what they’re buying, you can create a liquid commodity market where right now there’s a guy running around with a clipboard,” said Horowitz, CEO of the Colorado startup AMP Robotics, which has robots at two dozen recycling facilities around the country, including one in Austin. “It’s a green war.”

Spotlight

Nation Ford Chemical Co

ounded in 1977, Nation Ford Chemical is one of America’s most respected custom manufacturers of specialty organic chemicals. The company specializes in the production of a variety of organic intermediates, polymers and bio-based chemicals for a broad range of customers worldwide. Nation Ford Chemical prides itself on delivering high quality at a reasonable cost. For over 30 years, NFC has been known for its ability to outpace other companies in the lead time necessary to bring new chemicals into production. Our customer-centered approach to toll manufacturing means we deliver the product you need when you need it.

OTHER ARTICLES

Transporting biological and chemical materials - what you need to know

Article | February 13, 2020

The landscape of biological and chemical logistics has changed rapidly - as have the regulatory frameworks around it. What has not necessarily kept pace is the end-user understanding of the nature of these logistical processes, their opportunities and their constraints. Twenty years ago, the transmission of biological and chemical materials was limited to a small range of organisations: usually national and international research companies, hospitals, major university departments, police and military departments with forensic responsibilities.

Read More

Setting record straight on testing harm in chemicals

Article | February 13, 2020

The modern world is built on chemicals, be it the medicines we use, or cleaning fluids, crop protection products, or the raw materials for everything from laptops and mobile phones to clothes and furniture. Across all, we have created an entire modern society with chemicals, and, as a result, constantly stretched the size of the world population we can feed, clothe and shelter. Yet, balancing all the gains from the modern chemistry around us against any negative environmental and human impact has been a rising concern, making for ever greater focus on testing and on risk assessment.

Read More

Why chemical characterization is the best way to assess patient risk

Article | February 11, 2020

Everyone is very familiar with the phrase when buying a house: All that really matters are three things - location, location, and location. This same principle applies to extractables and leachables chemistry analysis – the three things that truly matter are identification, identification, and identification. The greatest growth in the past ten years in demonstrating the safety of medical devices and container closure systems for drugs has been using analytical chemistry to determine what chemicals can leach from the device and what the patient is exposed to during its intended use.

Read More

How Chemical Companies Benefit from the Experience Economy

Article | February 10, 2020

To feel or experience from a business engagement started with customer experience mainly in the consumer products business. Today it has extended to even knowledge industries like the chemical industry where experiencing or feeling can be leveraged to include all stake holders from customers primarily to employees to supply chain people & suppliers and all else. With digital technologies this has become easier than before. The benefits from promoting the ‘feel’ or ‘experience’ emotion could be multifarious for the chemical industry as described in this article.

Read More

Transporting biological and chemical materials - what you need to know

Article | February 13, 2020

The landscape of biological and chemical logistics has changed rapidly - as have the regulatory frameworks around it. What has not necessarily kept pace is the end-user understanding of the nature of these logistical processes, their opportunities and their constraints. Twenty years ago, the transmission of biological and chemical materials was limited to a small range of organisations: usually national and international research companies, hospitals, major university departments, police and military departments with forensic responsibilities.

Read More

Setting record straight on testing harm in chemicals

Article | February 13, 2020

The modern world is built on chemicals, be it the medicines we use, or cleaning fluids, crop protection products, or the raw materials for everything from laptops and mobile phones to clothes and furniture. Across all, we have created an entire modern society with chemicals, and, as a result, constantly stretched the size of the world population we can feed, clothe and shelter. Yet, balancing all the gains from the modern chemistry around us against any negative environmental and human impact has been a rising concern, making for ever greater focus on testing and on risk assessment.

Read More

Why chemical characterization is the best way to assess patient risk

Article | February 11, 2020

Everyone is very familiar with the phrase when buying a house: All that really matters are three things - location, location, and location. This same principle applies to extractables and leachables chemistry analysis – the three things that truly matter are identification, identification, and identification. The greatest growth in the past ten years in demonstrating the safety of medical devices and container closure systems for drugs has been using analytical chemistry to determine what chemicals can leach from the device and what the patient is exposed to during its intended use.

Read More

How Chemical Companies Benefit from the Experience Economy

Article | February 10, 2020

To feel or experience from a business engagement started with customer experience mainly in the consumer products business. Today it has extended to even knowledge industries like the chemical industry where experiencing or feeling can be leveraged to include all stake holders from customers primarily to employees to supply chain people & suppliers and all else. With digital technologies this has become easier than before. The benefits from promoting the ‘feel’ or ‘experience’ emotion could be multifarious for the chemical industry as described in this article.

Read More
MORE ARTICLES

Spotlight

Nation Ford Chemical Co

ounded in 1977, Nation Ford Chemical is one of America’s most respected custom manufacturers of specialty organic chemicals. The company specializes in the production of a variety of organic intermediates, polymers and bio-based chemicals for a broad range of customers worldwide. Nation Ford Chemical prides itself on delivering high quality at a reasonable cost. For over 30 years, NFC has been known for its ability to outpace other companies in the lead time necessary to bring new chemicals into production. Our customer-centered approach to toll manufacturing means we deliver the product you need when you need it.

Events

Conference