SEATTLE (Recycling Monster): The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received state funding of $331,592 in support of its efforts to boost recycling of mixed plastic waste. The WPI has been developing a groundbreaking technology, aimed at converting mixed plastic waste into useful chemicals. The process will ultimately help reduce plastic waste and its environmental impacts.

The innovative project is one of several projects which are being supported by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech) and the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) through the Mass. Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) program. This funding will help WPI to purchase equipment to perform plastics conversion process.

The project, led by Michael Timko and Alex Maag, is perfectly in alignment with the Department of Energy's objectives for advanced chemical manufacturing. It fully addresses the critical issue of plastic waste.

The global plastics industry is predominantly made up of single-use plastics, which accounts for approximately 37% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The rapidly growing single-use plastic waste has been a major contributor to environmental pollution.