First Star Recycling

FIRST STAR FIBER, INC./FIRST STAR RECYCLING the bright orange, 8-gallon bags and fill them with, otherwise, non-recyclable plastics, such as potato chips bags, straws, candy wrappers, and film of all types. The Hefty energy bags are set out to the curb with recyclables, where they are retrieved and the contents sent to a pyrolysis plant. There, the materials are heated up in the absence of oxygen and converted into diesel; keeping those plastics out of the landfill and turned into a usable resource. Gub- bels reports, “One of the reasons we’re anxious to do more with the Hefty Energy Bag program, is we see it as a great opportunity for a lot of businesses, such as pyrolysis companies, and cement kilns, that can use this material. It’s also perfect for communities and businesses that want to divert more material from their landfills to adopt this as a program. So, we’re working with our partners: Reynolds, that manufactures the energy bags; and Dow, that first came up with the concept for the pro- gram, to expand it throughout the U.S. and into Canada.” Studies have shown that using recycled mate- rials, as opposed to virgin commodities, in any manufacturing process that needs, for instance, aluminum or plastic, results in energy savings. And there’s a growing sentiment around the world that, because the earth has limited re- sources, we can’t continue to employ the linear concept of “use it, abuse it, and throw it away.” The circular economy is what many environ- mentalists and economists are touting to en- sure economic sustainability. That being said, one of the biggest challenges in the recycling industry is the need for more markets. “We employ one person whose sole job is to go to trade shows and search web pages to