How the next revolution in recycling may be the solution we need

Jack “Tato” Bigio, chief executive of UBQ Materials, stood atop a pile of shredded garbage. His company will convert the trash into pellets that c KIBBUTZ TZE’ELIM, Israel – Eight tons of trash are piled high at the entrance of a small factory in this tree-lined kibbutz — rotting food mixed with plastic bags, dirty paper, castoff bottles, even broken toys. But nothing is headed for a landfill. Instead, what’s next is a process that could revolutionize recycling. Within hours, the mound will be sorted, ground, chopped, shredded, cleaned and heated into a sort of garbage caramel, then resurrected as tiny pseudo-plastic pellets that can be made into everyday items like trays and packing crates. “The magic that we’re doing is we’re taking everything — the chicken bones, the banana peels,” said Jack “Tato” Bigio, the chief executive at UBQ Materials. “We take this waste, and we convert it.” Such upcycling is needed by a world seeking solutions to the environmental challenges caused by the 2 billion tons of waste generated annually. Turning that trash into treasure has long held allure. Yet attempts have fallen short, and cynics abound. UBQ — short for ubiquitous — said it has succeeded […]

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