"Justin at Alchemy Marketing is a marketing mastermind. He has worked with our company on every aspect of marketing including PPC, graphic design, mobile website optimization, media buying, billboard procurement and design and mass mail outs to name a few. Justin is very data driven and has a knack for pulling out insights that help our business optimize our advertising budget. I would recommend Alchemy to anybody looking to grow their online presence and drive more traffic to their website."
Tom Tilaro, owner leatherfurnitureexpo.com
"Justin has been a pleasure to work with. His expertise, creativity, and promptness keep us happy customers. 90% of our customers come see us because of how well our google ad words campaign is managed. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his website development and ability to utilize online marketing. Thanks Justin!"
David Anderson, owner flooringhq.com
"Justin and his crew at Alchemy Marketing are the bomb-diggity! Everything I need, and everything I envision, comes to life quickly and effectively through their expertise. When I'm not sure what I want or need, Justin's suggestions always point in the right direction!"
Ideal: All agents consistently and accurately dispose of waste into separate recycling streams)
Limitations: Unreliable, tragedy of the commons, bad actors
2) Sorting of complex waste streams (onus on technology)
Ideal: Technology can sort materials into commodities with no waste or residue
Limitations: Profitability, hazardous and contaminating materials, technology
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a policy approach under which producers are given a significant responsibility – financial and/or physical – for the treatment or disposal of post-consumer products.
Waste Category Notes (Non-hazardous)
Metals
Notes
Ferrous Materials
– Steel & Iron
– Comprise 80% of metal waste
Non-ferrous metals
– Aluminium, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Nickel and others
– Comprise 9% of metal waste
Mixed metals
– Comprise 11% of metal waste
– In EU, 72% of paper & cardboard is recycled
– Can only recycle same paper fibers a few times
– Sources: industry (50%), households (40%) and offices (10%)
Recycling Process
Bottlenecks
Demand
Companies & Solutions
Plastics
Notes
– In EU, 38% landfilled, 36% burned for energy recovery, 26% recycled
– 1,000 “types”
– thermosets (hard, durable), thermopastics (packaging), elastomers (soft, rubber-like)
– packaging (40%), building & construction (20%), automotive (8%), electronics (5.6%)
– virgin plastic require fossil fuels, making plastics scarce and non-renewable
Steps:
1) Extraction of fossil fuels
Crude Oil
Natural Gas
2) Refinement
Crude Oil > Ethane
Natural Gas > Propane
3) Cracking, or breaking down into smaller molecules
Crude Oil > Ehthane > Ethylene
Natural Gas > Propane > Propylene
4) Polymerization, adding a catalyst to link molecules into a polymer called resin
Crude Oil > Ehthane > Ethylene > Polyethylene
Natural Gas > Propane > Propylene > Polypropylene
Recycling Process
– Mealwords & Waxworms can eat plastics like Styrofoam, producing compost
– Microbes (Ideonella Sakaiensis)
– Avoidance: using alternatives like Biodegradable Bioplastics & latex from rubber trees
Bottlenecks
– mixed plastic streams are difficult to sort: overlapping densities, no magnetic properties, no color indications
– vast majority of waste comes from tires
– In EU, landfilling of tires is banned
Recycling Process
– burning for energy
Bottlenecks
Demand
Companies & Solutions
Textiles
Notes
– “separately collected textiles contain 40%-50% wearable textiles for possible re-use, 25%-30% suitable as cleaning cloths, 20-30% suitable as secondary raw materials (for instance as insulation materials) and 12% other materials”
Recycling Process
Bottlenecks
Demand
Companies & Solutions
Biowaste
Notes
– 2/3rds from municipal (households and green waste), 1/3rd from industrial sources (food processing)
Recycling Process
Aerobic (with oxygen)
– produces compost
Anaerobic (without oxygen) by microorganisms
– produces biogas (mainly methane)
– produces digestate
Burned to produce energy
Bottlenecks
– “maintaining good conditions for decomposition (suitable mix of waste sources, temperature, pH levels)”
– “avoiding contamination with pathogens and minimizing potential health”
– “environmental nuisances, such as dust or odor emissions”
Demand
– low demand for standard compost, high demand for tailored compost
Companies & Solutions
Waste Category Notes (Hazardous)
Waste Oils
Notes
– 40% are recycled
– 25% illegally burned or dumped in sewage