RecycleEVERYTHING?

Can we really

EVERYTHING?

Here’s how…

Yes, we can.

Recycling Everything

• See what’s needed to

make it happen

• Jettison current assumptions

2

• Jettison current assumptions

that prevent change

• Take a trip into the world

of industry and science

• Explore breakthrough ideas

Introduction

3

Janet UnruhInstitute for Material Sustainability

www.rebk.orgPortland, Oregon

Vita

• Instructional designer 25 years

• Manufacturing industry 10 years

• Masters of Engineering and

Technology Management,

Portland State University 2002Portland State University 2002

• Author, Recycle Everything—

Why We Must, How We Can

• Passion for the Earth and its

ecosystems

4

My Journey• ETM program

• Designing and optimizing systems

• Re-ignited interest in sustainability

• Searched for sustainable systems

• Didn’t find any

• Decided to design some

• Finally wrote book

5

This is one book that

talks about systems for

recycling everything.

Read this book, then

read my book!

6

read my book!

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way

We Make Things, by William McDonough

and Michael Braungart

We’re Going to Pick Up

Where the Story Left Off

7Annie Leonard, Story of Stuff

But first, a

quick review of

the situation.

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the situation.

End Stage

9

Beginning Stage

10

Raw Materials Problems

for Industry

11

Cost of Raw MaterialsUps and downs over the past five years

12

Can Materials Keep On Flowing?

• Impacts on supply

• Price fluctuations and speculation

• Decreasing quality, lower grades

• More technology and fuel needed for extractionMore technology and fuel needed for extraction

• Resources in conflict areas or unfriendly countries

• Sudden increase in demand from multiple industries

• War—weapons, bombs, vehicles, materiel

• Dependency on oil and petrochemicals

13

How much do we have left

of the world’s resources?

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Earth's natural wealth: an audit

• Dr. Armin Reller at the

University of Augsburg in

Germany

• Dr. Thomas Graedel at Yale • Dr. Thomas Graedel at Yale

University

• Data from the US Geological

Survey's annual reports

• UN statistics on global

population

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Earth's natural wealth: an audit

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For a closer look at this graphic, check my website…

http://www.recycle everything book.org/sb.html

We’re going to

run out of Indium

in 4 to 13

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in 4 to 13

years???

‘Short-term shortages have periodically occurred because global

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‘Short-term shortages have periodically occurred because global

production and usage are so finely balanced.’ (We can hardly

produce it fast enough to keep up with demand.)

‘However, these shortages have historically been corrected by

increasing refining capacity and ultimately supply.’ (We’re taking

care of the problem by expanding our ability to produce it faster

and in greater quantities.)

Resource Wars

Thesis: as resources

become depleted,

countries will go to

war to obtain them.

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war to obtain them.

Recycling is an

urgent matter.

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urgent matter.

For industry, too.

The burden of

recycling falls on

consumers, local

governments and

concerned non-

21

concerned non-

profits, all of

whom are at the

end of the

process.

What Do We Mean by

RECYCLING?

• Upcycling

• Downcycling• Downcycling

• Freecycling

• Blended recycling

• ‘Real’ recycling

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Upcycling is defined as

using every aspect of waste

as value.

Upcycling

23

Downcycling

Used products are made into something else of

lesser value, such as filler or fuel. After the

second use, they are discarded.

Examples:

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Examples:

• Plastic milk jugs made

into insulated coat filler

• Used running shoes made into

rubber flooring

• Used tires made into sandals

Freecycling

Used products are given away or traded at swap-meets.

25

Blended Recycling

Examples

Materials from used products are processed

with the addition of new, raw materials to

bolster their quality.

Examples

• Recycled steel

• Recycled aluminum

• Recycled paper

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(‘Real’) Recycling

Recycling is defined as extracting the

materials that make a product to make a new

product using those same materials.

This is the one we’ll focus

on in this presentation.on in this presentation.

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Goal: recycle materials in cars,

trucks, airplanes, furniture,

vinyl siding, plastic dishware,

electronics, washers and

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electronics, washers and

dryers, microwave ovens,

lawnmowers, toys, buildings—

everything.

Can we reuse these materials

to make the same or similar products

countless times into the future?

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countless times into the future?

I believe the answer is YES!

What Would It Take

To Recycle Everything?

• Sustainable Systems

• Recyclable Materials

Next

• Recyclable Materials

• Design for Disassembly

• New Mindset

• People

30

31

Let’s look at the current linear

production-consumption system…

Raw Materials Extractors

Raw

Materials

Extractors

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Mining,

agriculture,

logging, dairy

and feedlots

Primary Processors

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

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Ingots of metal,

bags of rice,

tanks of

chemicals

Parts Suppliers

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

Suppliers

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New parts

and assemblies

for a variety

of products

Producers

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

SuppliersProducers

35

Finished goods

of all types

Distributors, Retail Outlets

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

SuppliersProducers

Distributors,

Retail

Outlets

36

Distributors

and retail

outlets

Consumers

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

SuppliersProducers

Distributors,

Retail

Outlets

Consumers

37

Individuals,

families,

governments

and

businesses

Landfill Operators

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

SuppliersProducers

Distributors,

Retail

Outlets

ConsumersLandfill

Operators

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Landfills,

incineration,

pollution and

waste dumps

Remanufacturing

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

SuppliersProducers

Distributors,

Retail

Outlets

ConsumersLandfill

Operators

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Producers

Distributors,

Retail

Outlets

Consumers

Take-back Laws

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

SuppliersProducers

Distributors,

Retail

Outlets

ConsumersLandfill

Operators

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Producers don’t know what to do

with the stuff, either.

Once a thing can be imagined,

it can be engineered.it can be engineered.

Reforming the System

Efforts to reform the current production-

consumption system focus on reducing the flow

of materials through the system by:

• Slowing it down

• Decreasing the amount

42

How about

redesigning

the system?

How to Redesign this System?

Raw

Materials

Extractors

Primary

Processors

Parts

SuppliersProducers

Distributors,

Retail

Outlets

ConsumersLandfill

Operators

• Eliminate the beginning and the end stages.

xx• Modify some of the roles.

43

ExtractorsProcessors Suppliers

OutletsOperators

• Add a couple of other roles and form a circle…

xxMaterials

Reprocessors

Distributors,

Collectors

Materials

Processor

New Parts

Supplier

Used Parts

BrokerSystem for

Material

44

Producer

Distributor

/ CollectorConsumer

Disassembler

Material

Sustainability

This Is It — the Cyclical System

That Others Have Talked About

45

Materials

Processor

New Parts

Supplier

Used Parts

Broker

How

does it

46

Producer

Distributor

/ CollectorConsumer

Disassemblerdoes it

work?

New Parts

Supplier

Used Parts

Broker

Materials

Processor

The Materials Processor:

• No longer processes raw materials

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Producer

Distributor

/ CollectorConsumer

Disassembler

• No longer processes raw materials

• Re-processes recyclable materials

Materials

Processor

Used Parts

Broker

New Parts

Supplier

These roles don’t

change much,

except the

producer re-uses

parts from used

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Distributor

/ CollectorConsumer

Disassembler Producer

parts from used

products.

New Parts

Supplier

Materials

Processor

Used Parts

Broker

The Distributor:

• Takes on the additional role of the collector

• Leases products to consumers

• Tests used products and leases them to secondary markets

Producer

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Consumer

Disassembler

Distributor

/ Collector

them to secondary markets

New Parts

Supplier

Materials

Processor

Used Parts

BrokerConsumers lease

products instead

Distributor

/ Collector

Producer

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Disassembler

Consumer

products instead

of buying them.

New Parts

Supplier

Materials

Processor

Used Parts

Broker

The Disassembler:

• Disassembles used products

• Sends reusable parts to

producer

Sends parts that can’t be re-

ConsumerDistributor

/ Collector

Producer

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Disassembler

• Sends parts that can’t be re-

used to:

• Used Parts Broker

• Materials Processor

New Parts

Supplier

Materials

Processor

The Used Parts Broker:

Used Parts

Broker

Disassembler

ConsumerDistributor

/ Collector

Producer

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• Sells used parts to new parts suppliers and producers

• Sells non-usable parts to materials processor

Materials

Processor

New Parts

Supplier

Used Parts

Broker

System for

Material

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Producer

Distributor

/ CollectorConsumer

Disassembler

Material

Sustainability

Big

Changes• Extraction phases out

• Landfills stop growing

• Consumers don’t own

products; they lease them

• Producers own materials and

track them throughout the

cyclecycle

• New jobs in collection,

disassembly and re-sale of

used products

• The production-consumption

system becomes sustainable

54

The Interface Story

• Ray Anderson, CEO

• Experienced an

epiphany when he

read Paul Hawken's, read Paul Hawken's,

"The Ecology of

Commerce"

• Mission Zero

• Recycling carpet

55

• http://www.interfaceflooring.com/

Inorganic versus

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Inorganic versus

Organic Systems

Organic Systems

• Lumber, crops, orchards, livestock, fishing

• Rate of harvest limited by rate of regrowth

• Used products routed through compost

• Organic and inorganic materials

kept separate in products

57

kept separate in products

What Would It Take

To Recycle Everything?

• Sustainable Systems

• Recyclable MaterialsNext

�

58

• Recyclable Materials

• Design for Disassembly

• New Mindset

• People

Next

Recyclable materials are

critical to recycling everything.

59

We have to back up all the way

to the molecules.

Innovations in Material Science

• NOVA’s series, Making Materials on PBS

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/making-

stuff.html

• MIT’s Technology Review

http://www.technologyreview.com/http://www.technologyreview.com/

• Discover magazine http://discovermagazine.com/

• New Scientist http://www.newscientist.com/

60

These links are on my website at…

http://www.recycle everything book.org/sb.html

A Few Examples

• Polymers that mend

themselves

• Two-dimensional graphene

• Artificial diamonds, rubies

• Morphing materials

61

Japanese scientists

create world’s hardest

artificial diamond

http://www.topnews.in/

Even more amazing…

Quantum Dots • Artificial atoms

• Up to 50 times larger

than a natural atom

• Can simulate the

properties of any element

on the periodic table—on the periodic table—

by attracting / releasing

additional electrons

• Hacking Matter, by

Wil McCarthy

62

Lin-Wang Wang

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_dots

Programmable Matter

63

Wikipedia or other reference

If science can create

materials like these,

why can’t they create

64

why can’t they create

recyclable materials?

They probably can.

What Is a ‘Recyclable’ Material?

SOLID

NON-

• No waste

• No need for additives

• Perpetually recyclable

• Usable for same or similar purpose65

NON-

SOLID

Requirements Are the Key

Requirements:

Need: a hard plastic to serve as a housing for

laptops, TVs, stereos, Netbooks, iPads, Kindles, etc.

Requirements:

• Durable

• Washable

• Wear-resistant

• Black

• 100% recyclable

66

How It Works in Industry

Material

engineering

Reprocessing

plan

(requirements)

Facilities and

equipment

67

Product

design Examples of reprocessing

methods…

Reprocessing

Methods:

• Programmable matter

• Temperature change

• Melting• Melting

• Freezing

• Electro-magnetism

• Microwaves

• Mechanical

• Shredding

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Result Technology reprocesses:

69

Result Technology reprocesses:

• Circuit boards

• Electric cables

• Aluminum alloys

• Electronic scrap

• Compound foils

Shreds, spins

??

What Would It Take

To Recycle Everything?

• Sustainable Systems

• Recyclable Materials��

70

Next

• Recyclable Materials

• Design for Disassembly

• New Mindset

• People

�

Design for Disassembly

Material

engineering

71

Disassembly

plan

(requirements)

Facilities and

equipment

Product

design

Disassembly Requirements

• Disassembly process must be easy and fast

• All joins between parts must be reversible

• Parts must be designed to be recoverable and reusable

• Parts must be designed to be recoverable and reusable

• Parts must be designed to have separable materials (for material reprocessing)

• Disassembly and reuse must be cost-effective

72

GTI

http://demonty.mf.tu-berlin.de/index.php/

73

http://demonty.mf.tu-berlin.de/index.php/

Disassembly_Knowledge_Platform

74

What Would It Take

To Recycle Everything?

• Sustainable Systems

• Recyclable Materials��

75

Next

• Recyclable Materials

• Design for Disassembly

• New Mindset

• People

��

Mindset

• Resources are finite and must be managed

• Everyone adapts to a closed system for handling materialsclosed system for handling materials

• Consumers do not own products

• Producers own materials and track them

76

What Would It Take

To Recycle Everything?

• Sustainable Systems

• Recyclable Materials��

77

Next

• Recyclable Materials

• Design for Disassembly

• New Mindset

• People

��

�

People &

Institute for

Material

78

Material

Sustainability

Who or what is the Institute?

Institute for Material

Sustainability

• Non-profit organization

• Early stages

Goal is to work with industry• Goal is to work with industry

• Get systems for material sustainability

up and running ASAP

79

Mission The mission

of the Institute for

Material Sustainability

is to help industries

80

is to help industries

make the transition

to systems for material

sustainability.

of 34

Vision

Collaborative effort to:

• Develop 100% recyclable

materials for industry

• Design products using these new

materials and new processes for

material recovery

• Construct working models of

systems for material sustainability

• Establish a consulting agency to

work with industry to co-develop

and implement these systems

81

First Major Goal

Set up and run a full system test

• Recyclable materials

• Product designs

• Assembly and disassembly plans• Assembly and disassembly plans

• Product test plans

• Facilities and equipment

• Expertise

• Funding

82of 34

• Materials engineering

• Computer simulations

• Systems optimization

An Appeal

We are looking for people who can help with…

• Assembly and disassembly

• Equipment and facilities design

• Finance• Systems optimization

• Requirements engineering

• Lean manufacturing

• Product design

• Process design

83

• Finance

• Business consulting

• Website design

• Funding, fiscal sponsorship

84

A few final thoughts…

Jobs for Now and the Future

• Materials engineering

• Product design and engineering– Disassembly for product design

– Disassembly equipment, facilities, systems

• Logistics system design and optimization• Logistics system design and optimization

• Computer simulations

• Financial analysis

• Policy-making

• Production

• Many more

85

Reasons for Optimism

• Climate change and rapid evolution

• Accelerated innovation

• Crisis and opportunity

• Attitude• Attitude

86

Help Make Some Noise

• Write emails to 5 news

outlets, blogs, listservs

• Text on website

• Free PDF of my book*

• PDF, $6 donation*

• Printed, $10 at book table,

normally $12.95.

87*http://www.recycle everything book.org/sb.html

Feedback, QuestionsFeedback, Questions

88

http://www.recycle everything book.org/sb.html