New Pilot Program Pairs Recycling and 3D Printing in Surprise, AZ

Surprise, Ariz. is launching a new pilot project that combines recycling with 3D-printing technology to repurpose discarded plastic.

Ethar Alali, Managing Director of Automedi, explains that the process is simple. After waste is placed into special bins equipped with a smart sensor, it is collected, and the waste is placed into a machine. That machine turns the waste into a form of grind, a small-scale, pelletized version of plastic that acts as filament. Then, the material is transformed into new products such as paper clips, bottle openers, and more through the power of 3D printing.

The pilot program is being offered to the city as a package, which includes both the reclaimers and the 3D-printing technology.

“With our technology, what that allows us to do is to basically downscale … that technology by giving you the entirety of the circular system in one — what we call — cluster,” said Alali.

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