UBQ material to be used in South America – Waste Today Magazine

Waste-to-resin technology will supply material to Colombia-based maker of dog houses and litter boxes.
Israel-based UBQ Materials says its waste-to-raw material technology will be put to work in Colombia to make dog houses and cat litter boxes for pet products manufacturer Rimax.
The “Made with UBQ”  pet products initially will be available in Colombia “and then roll out globally,” according to UBQ. “The pet line will be available on Rimax’s website as well as with retailers in Latin America such as Home Center in Colombia and Home Depot Mexico,” states UBQ. “The commercial launch of this pet line advances the company’s sustainability strategy to reduce its environmental impact.
On its website, UBQ says its waste conversion process begins with unsorted municipal solid waste (MSW), which it describes as “everything from food residues and mixed plastics to cardboard, paper, and even dirty diapers” being sorted so metals and other commonly recycled fractions return to traditional recycling streams.
Remaining materials are then fed to a process that “breaks down the organic matter into its basic particulate constructs—lignin, cellulose, fibers, and sugars—and then reassembles them into a matrix,” according to UBQ. Residual plastics present in the stream melt and get mixed into a “matrix to create a homogeneous and consistent composite thermoplastic material,” adds the firm.
UBQ says its converted material has thermoplastic properties that can integrate with existing manufacturing processes and materials, “with endless opportunities to integrate into additional industry applications.”
“After successfully piloting a line of pet items ‘Made with UBQ,’ we made the manufacturing decision to introduce UBQ across our entire pet line because loving animals goes hand in hand with caring for the planet,” says Elsa Coello Costa, a marketing manager at Rimax. “With our initial launch in Colombia, we anticipate a methodical expansion throughout Latin America.”

UBQ cites the Colorado-based Pet Sustainability Coalition as estimating the pet food industry alone creates 300 million pounds of discarded plastic annually from pet food and treat packaging. This figure does not include the waste from other pet accessories.
By substituting oil-based plastics with UBQ, Rimax says it is diverting up to 2.8 pounds of waste and preventing up to 25 pounds of CO₂-equivalent emissions for every pound of UBQ used within its products.
“Consumers have incredible power to influence the sustainability standards of corporations and industry at large; every purchase decision is an opportunity to drive change,” says Jack “Tato” Bigio, co-CEO and cofounder of UBQ Materials. “The new ‘Made with UBQ’ mark distinguishes Rimax in the market, indicating to consumers that their products replace oil-based resins, in part, with material made from landfill- or incineration-destined waste.”

source