Photo Credit: Boeing Image

While getting dinner ready one night last month I had the TV news on.  Among the top stories was the announced maiden test flight of Boeing’s Dreamliner 787. As a tall, frequent flyer, my first thought was, “ I hope this behemoth is configured with more passenger leg room.” I’m tired of “eating” my knees when flying.

Well no, they didn’t mention more leg room, but they did highlight the fact that this technological wonder was built with carbon fiber reinforced plastic – a very strong, durable, lightweight composite material that delivers superior performance and is energy efficient. Given that I work in the plastics industry, that bit of broadcasting genius made me feel proud.

Perfect for reducing fuel consumption, carbon fiber reinforced plastic is a favorite material of the aerospace and automotive (think – Ferrari, Corvette, Porsche) industries. But it is also used to construct reinforced bridges, sailboats, bicycles, fishing rods, tennis racquets, computers, stringed instrument bodies (think Nashville) and much more. Back in September, we blogged about it being the choice material for wind turbine rotor blades.  Even the Boy Scouts can earn a merit badge in composite materials. Who knew?!

Boeing plans to deliver the first completed Dreamliner 787 in the fourth quarter of 2010. And they have orders pending for 840 more of these winged giants. So it looks like I will have a wait before I can personally find out if my “leg-room” wish is fulfilled. In the meantime, I’ll keep my kneepads in my travel bag.

“Plastics to Oil” —  That was the headline of a recent article in the Washington Post and it certainly grabbed my attention.  Come to find out, on September 16th, an Envion oil generator was scheduled for an official unveiling.  Converting plastic waste to synthetic oil, it is to be run as a pilot project until the end of October at the Montgomery County, Md. solid waste transfer station. Envion is a privately held company in the DC area.   

The generator, about three stories high, can convert plastic waste to synthetic oil that can then be converted into fuel for a truck or airplane.   The pilot generator has a capacity for handling more than 6,000 tons of plastic a year.  The company plans to scale up in the future.

According to the article, the “far-infrared ray” technology works by melting plastic in an oxygen free environment to separate the hydrocarbons headed for the oil end product from the additives used to make the original plastic container.  Any type of plastic can be fed into the generator.  The output volume depends on the type of plastic reclaimed.  Envionsays it cost about $10 to convert the plastic waste into a barrel’s worth of synthetic oil.  This is pretty neat stuff and intriguing technology.

A few days later I read another article about this project in Plastics News in which Envion’s CEO, Michael Han, said his uncle, a Korean businessman, developed the technology in the 1990s but needed capital to get it off the ground.  The article also states that Polyflow Corp. (Akron, OH) has been working to commercialize a similar technolology.

On the surface it seems a great way to “recycle” those plastic items that are in low-demand by commercial recyclers or that municipalities don’t accept. I can’t say I view this new technology as a silver bullet because I don’t know enough about it yet.  I am trying to think of the pros and cons  from a public perspective: 

• Could this process complement traditional recycling methods of sorting and baling  post-consumer plastics for which there is a demand ( i.e. plastic bottles)? What’s not in demand could be processed to oil by one of these generators.   
• Is this process more efficient than others? 
• Is it more cost-effective than other processes? 
• Does this process leave a smaller footprint than others?   

What do you think? I’m thinking it just might be worth a drive up the road to Maryland to see this thing in action.

Summer is ending. For most, the vacation is in the rear view mirror and for many it’s ”back-to-school” time already. For voters in New Jersey and Virginia, the fall season will also mean a return to the polls come November 3rd.

All registered voters in both states have the privilege to elect a Governor in November,  and New Jersey voters will also cast votes for members of the General Assembly. This November is a prelude to next year when 37  states will hold not only gubernatorial elections but many local, state legislative and congressional races too.

In New Jersey, running for re-election is sitting Governor Jon Corzine (D), to be challenged by Chris Daggett (I), a former regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a nd Chris Christie (R), a former federal prosecutor.  At this time, Christie is leading in the polls.

In Virginia, Attorney General Bob McDonnell (R) and state Senator R. Creigh Deeds (D) face off.  The race is considered close.

To jumpstart the process, visit the election pages of the  New Jersey and Virginia state websites, as well as the League of Women Voters’ sites for New Jersey and Virginia.  Share this information with friends, family and colleagues.   

Are you familiar with the candidates?  Are you happy with the status quo?  Are you looking for change?  Are you registered to vote? (If not, SPI’s Political Action Center can help!) Will you vote?  I sure hope so!

Do your homework! If you live in Virginia or New Jersey, mark your calendars for November 3rd, and Get-Out-the-Vote!

With the winter finally behind us, and the spring season underway, some of you may may be thinking ahead  to when the kids are out of school and realize that it’s time for planning  a  family vacation.

Unlike the Griswold family (who headed to the “Walley World” theme park in National Lampoon’s Vacation), many people will head for the water – ocean, lakes, rivers, streams.  For some reason, the thought of cool water and warm summer days seems to be the perfect fit.

Should your plans find you heading to the water this summer, be sure and take along a plastic bag or two  to use for your throw-aways.   Not only will you help keep our beaches and water clean, you will also be re-using a bag.  Have a separate bag or container for your recyclables.

After you and your family have enjoyed the beauty of the beach, lake or river consider giving back a couple hours of your time by participating in a beach clean up day.  It’s a great way to get a little exercise and meet some new folks while supporting a common goal. Many states such as Texas, New Jersey, Florida and others sponsor “Adopt-A-Beach” programs.

Or, volunteer for a local clean-up event.  In fact, every year Keep American Beautiful sponsors the “Great American Cleanup.”  Or, just do it yourself!  Take a garbage bag and pick up litter you find in your neighborhood or along  your street.

Business plays a role as well.  Many of our SPI members have committed to Operation Clean Sweep®, an SPI initiative to ensure that resin pellets do not make their way into local waters.  The program’s goal is to help every plastic resin handling operation implement best management practices to contain pellet loss.

It’s up to all of us to conserve and protect our finite resources.  Every living thing needs water – don’t waste it.

I like to shop – some days. Shopping to me is to have a list prepared, get in, get out and get home.  After a conversation with Bemis Manufacturing, one of our member companies, a store I frequent will certainly be getting a second look.

In talking with my colleague at Bemis, he asked if I had noticed anything different about the red shopping carts at Target.  I said no.  I can’t say I spend a lot of time looking at their shopping carts or any others for that matter. Well, he suggested that next time I do – particularly if the store is a newer one in Target’s chain.

 When I asked why, he explained that Bemis is working with the retailer on providing a newer, greener design for their red shopping carts. The down and dirty is that now when one of the older shopping carts gets to the end of its useful life, it is simply dismantled – the metal parts and plastic are separated – and the plastic is shipped back to Bemis for recycling into a newly designed, lighter weight, all-plastic cart comprised of  polycarbonate, high density polyethylene (HDPE), nylon, and semi-crystalline polyester. The “new” recycled cart is then sent back to individual Target stores as they transition from the old style metal carts.  

In addition to this end-of-life recycling benefit, the all-plastic cart, which has no sharp edges and is easier to turn, doesn’t have the potential for damage (like this) when wheeled out to the parking lot!

Very cool, very resourceful, very on target! The next time I go shopping, I will have to take a closer look at those red shopping carts.