Nathan Gray, CEO of Plastic Recycled, has an endless supply of raw materials for his products. The company’s tagline is “creating new life from single-use plastics.”
Plastic Recycled has partnered with municipalities, businesses, and community organizations to set up 36 collection sites throughout Massachusetts, NH and Maine to collect recycled material, particularly hard-to-recycle plastics including plastic lids, bottle caps and prescription bottles. He then chips them down to colorful plastic confetti that is used to make products including bowls, planters, turtle sculptures, outdoor benches, recycling bins and even home siding.
Gray founded the company four years ago and he currently has four employees. He says the company is breaking even and is on the verge of profitability.
Gray also founded House Factory Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to educating people about sustainability, recycled building materials, and eco-friendly practices. That includes how to make Ecobricks, building materials used in small scale projects like furniture made from plastic bottles packed with soft, clean, dry plastic such as plastic bags.
Gray receives larger plastics recycled from businesses and institutions, including NH Ball Bearings and Harvard University. “We get materials shipped to us nationwide,” Gray says.
Gray says anything that can be made from wood he can make out of recycled plastics. He even creates large sheets of recycled plastics that can be used for countertops and other larger projects.
Gray is currently seeking investment partners. “We have proven the concept and are consistent with our final products,” he says. “We want to have locations throughout the U.S.”
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But wait, isn’t plastic more harmful to the ecosystem than wood?
Well recycling plastic into useful purposes, such as building, keeps it out of the atmosphere and water where it does much more harm.