Locals to shred plastic to help assist recycling

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While most of the world is reassessing what the next steps are to combat a recycling problem in the aftermath of China shutting its doors to nearly all materials, a couple of Port Townsend locals are seeking a way to stop the epidemic at its source.

“Plastic is one of the greatest symbols of this cultural issue,” Andrew Eisenberg said. Along with Roarke Jennings, he is looking to repurpose products, rather than relying on third parties such as China and other recyclers to take plastic.

“We have an abundance of inherent value that we are just throwing away. We aren't trying to maintain the way things are, because it hasn't worked,” Eisenberg said, bringing attention to America's years of transporting the material out of country, which he called “null and void” once the pollution of shipping is accounted for.

In order to keep plastic local, the duo will be starting a plastic shredding venture, where they will collect clean and high-grade plastic, shred it and repurpose it for a variety of products.

“We don't want to ship it across the country or to foreign markets,” Eisenberg said. “We are trying to push into a solution as opposed to pulling the problem.”

For the time being, Eisenberg and Jennings have constructed a usable plastic shredder, with the resources from an open-source company site, Precious Plastics, a European company. It took a better part of a month to assemble the machine's motor, while the rest took about six months of evenings and weekends to put together. That was while the two were not at their full-time jobs, giving them first-hand learning experience, Eisenberg said, as neither had an extensive amount of knowledge in mechanical engineering. Eisenberg and Jennings put their minds to work to learn about electric motors and gears, using a 2-horsepower engine and secondhand gearbox.

With a boxful of yogurt containers as starters, to ensure the device is working correctly, they will be asking for community support, to give their washed and sorted plastics to the venture.

“We are excited to continue on,” Eisenberg said about building additional shredders in the near future. “We have a lot of things figured out, so when it comes time to duplicate this, it's going to be basic.”

Household items such as food containers are eligible to be shredded and turned into something new. Eisenberg said they would focus on home and boatbuilding materials, as well as farm and garden products from the shreds.

“It's a global commodity,” Eisenberg said, with the grainy plastic stuck to his fingers. “It's sorted, it's cleaned and 100 percent HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastic.” He added that the process of shredding is strictly mechanical, only producing dust in the immediate space, which would have proper air filtration and personal protection for a safe work environment.

When a recycling program is set, after a network in town with businesses and individuals is organized, they will then focus on production of materials for a variety of uses.

“There are limitless opportunities with plastic,” he said.

To handle Port Townsend recyclables, a central location will be established for convenience for a place to shred, with processing and storage of the material coming in and going out. When the plastic is shredded, it can be compressed and stored in a more efficient manner.

“We are looking at it from the perspective of, it's not that valuable. You need a lot of it to make it more valuable,” he said. Unlike what has been happening in the recycling industry since it began, Eisenberg won't be have to factor in transportation costs.

The new recycling model will lend itself to environmental stewardship, not simply profit, Eisenberg added, saying they're looking to create sustainable jobs, and increase the community’s capabilities in closing the recycling loop to lead the nation in a proper response to the cultural crisis of plastic pollution.

Their goal is to stimulate the local economy by supplying the clean, durable plastic for existing or new businesses. Eisenberg isn't worried about it being a money-making venture, but won't shy away from the prospect of a self-sustaining business model either. For Eisenberg, community support is of the utmost importance to get it off the ground.

Laura Tucker, of Jefferson County Environmental Health, called what Eisenberg and Jennings are preparing to do as a “viable option,” but noted they won't make a sizable dent in the amount of plastic used in the immediate region. She noted the high-quality plastic from bottles and jugs are high-value, and can be sent to any market, if they choose.

“The fact that he can shred high-quality plastics, he will have markets for that,” Tucker said. Calling Port Townsend residents environmentally aware, Tucker predicted Eisenberg and Jennings will receive more help than not, as she has noticed the community not only has an activist slant, but also want to help a local business.

“As a positive step in the process, with what we do with our plastic, he is serving a really nice niche,” she said. “Your plastic will live again.”

Though alternatives to traditional methods of disposing of plastic containers are welcomed by Environmental Health, the department stressed to those who continue to use Jefferson County facilities for recycling to do so properly. Tucker pointed toward a flyer that can be found at jeffersoncountysolidwaste.com/recycling-no-in-jefferson-county that shows which materials can be recycled, such as mixed paper, certain plastic containers and glass bottles and jars. Tucker added the slogan used by the department, “When in doubt, throw it out,” to limit any contamination in the recycling flow.

Jennings spent years studying sustainability from alternative economic theories, about humanity's connection to nature and food and social dynamics. Eisenberg's interest came as an environmentally conscious citizen, coupled with his studies in urban planning as a student at the University of Utah.

“All these problems, they aren't the fault of any one thing. It's a product of a culture,” Eisenberg explained.

When talking about the recent China blockade of contaminated recyclable materials, Eisenberg was ahead of the curve, believing it was pointless that recyclables travel that far across the globe just to be recycled. When he heard the news that China would not longer be accept any plastics from the United States and other countries, it reignited his desire to build this grassroots venture.

Eisenberg said the issue of plastic, as a contaminate and environmental hazard, should be obvious to most anyone. 

“You can't not be aware of plastic,” he said. “It's abundantly available in the waste stream.”

As a grassroots movement, Eisenberg hopes it will spark similar communities around the country, when like-minded activists can start their own recycling ventures. By focusing on local recycling, Eisenberg hopes to keep all the plastic within the community, keeping it away from waste streams and the environment.

“One of the advantages of doing it on a small scale in the community is that it wipes away the mysticism of waste … and makes it real,” Eisenberg said. “They will be participating first-hand in the recycling process. There is only waste because we're wasteful, but we can change that.”

For those who have an interest in the environment and recycling, Eisenberg recommended attending the Local 20/20 Local Initiative action group at 5:30 p.m. on the first Friday of every month, at the Charles Pink House at 1256 Lawrence St.