Secret Montreal Lab Makes Used Plastic New Again
By Kris Abel
Originally Published on The Toronto Sun
A secret Montreal laboratory has developed a breakthrough technology that may help save the planet – and keep your local taxes low at the same time.
While you dutifully separate household waste into a rainbow of colorful recycling bins, many cities aren’t able to recycle household plastics any more. Calgary recently found itself holding 1,400 tonnes of plastics — with nowhere to send them.
Four years ago, The Lavergne Group surprised HP with a system where printers could be tossed into grinders whole and the bits efficiently sorted into neat piles by colour and type – creating bins of all heavy black plastic, for example, or all light white.
Since not everyone recycles, HP will always need more plastic than it can recover from its own products. But, instead of ordering new plastic, HP just purchased 65 metric tonnes of used water bottles and clothing hangers from Haiti.
In that spirit, HP waived its right as an exclusive collaborator and has encouraged Lavergne to sign deals with other companies, including HP’s competitors.
