New partnership in Denver aims to improve plastic circularity

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): A Colorado plastics recycler is working with a nonprofit group to create what is being described as a “first-of-its-kind innovation hub” with an aim of advancing a circular economy.

Direct Polymers LLC, a Denver-based provider of grinding, pelletizing and compounding services, is teaming with Circular Colorado to create NextRun, a project “designed to create new markets for recycled materials, starting with plastics,” the nonprofit said.

NextRun will be based at Direct Polymers and provide both testing and production capabilities for startups as well as established companies wanting to include recycled plastics in their products.

“The path to a circular economy requires both new innovators and established industry leaders,” Circular Colorado CEO Laurie Johnson said in a statement. “With Direct Polymers as our foundational partner, NextRun becomes more than just a facility. It becomes an ecosystem.”

NextRun will provide entrepreneurs with equipment, access to materials and training while manufacturers will gain what is being called “a risk-free environment to test recycled feedstocks,” she said.

“Together, we are building the supply and the demand simultaneously in the heart of Denver,” Johnson said.

NextRun is expected to begin operations during the second half of next year with an initial focus on plastics. Future work will expand into construction and demolition waste.

For the first phase, Circular Colorado is looking for interest from “established companies, startups, and programs with scale-up support needs for polymer circularity,” the nonprofit said.

NextRun will provide a full-scale testing and production and testing environment that includes a “facility in the Denver metro area, equipped with industrial-grade machinery like shredders, extruders, injection molding machines, and 3D printers.”

The project also will provide “access to a consistent supply of diverse, high-grade recycled plastics from Direct Polymers, backed by technical expertise in material properties and processing,” the nonprofit said, as well as a “dedicated space where startups, established manufacturers, and material experts can connect to solve common challenges while learning operational and safety excellence.”

 Courtesy: www.plasticsnews.com