Recycling Start-up Calls On The Government To Back Innovation In The Plastic Recycling Industry

Co-founder of an innovative clean-tech start-up Rui Peng, is calling on the Government to get behind innovative businesses pushing the envelope on what we do with our plastic waste to enable a quicker transition to a clean, green, circular economy.

Peng, whose business Critical. currently processes seven types of hard-to-recycle plastic material into office products and building supplies and with the capability to increase that to 23 different types, says there is a burgeoning industry that could speed our progress to New Zealand’s zero-waste goals - but it just needs local and central Government to back new and innovative approaches being birthed right here in Aotearoa.

As Peng said during his featured interview on The Project TV last Thursday night: “We want to make our tamariki proud, and not rob them of their future - and that’s what gets us out of bed every morning.”

It’s estimated that 4.8–12.7 million metric tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year, and in New Zealand alone, 1 billion single-use plastic bottles are used and thrown away annually.

“But we shouldn’t let the size of the problem blind us to the solutions that are right here in our own backyard,” Peng says.

“Particularly when businesses like ours now have the technology to process these single-use products.”

Peng says alongside his start-up, there are a growing number of businesses that are able to recycle and reuse plastic, reducing the need for thousands of tonnes to be sent to landfills or shipped overseas.

“We started Critical. wanting a better future for young people in our community and that means not only providing jobs but also reducing the pollution that’s hurting our rivers, oceans, and soils. This is an exciting, growing industry and we just need that little bit of extra support so we can help New Zealand’s zero-waste goals become a reality.

“Our revolutionary technology enables us to currently recycle seven different types of plastic, and with the right level of investment, we will not only be able to process 23 types of plastic material but also triple the volume of waste we process to over 300 tonnes per year.

“We are also working on plans to create portable recycling micro-factories that can be set up around Aotearoa New Zealand, making it possible for communities to process their own hard-to-recycle waste quickly and cheaply.

“A solution to one of our country’s greatest environmental challenges is within our grasp - we just need the support of investors and the government to make it happen.”

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