If we burn the plastic, we generate toxins and a large amount of CO2. If we convert it into oil, we save CO2 and at the same time increase people’s awareness about the value of plastic garbage.—Akinori Ito, CEO of Blest.
Akinori is one of the Change Agents on this Planet. This is an option that can be easily adopted in any community to start generating oil for the whole. Rather than send our plastics to sea or to an outside agency that pays for the resource we can start reuse these resources for the next part of its life cycle. All landfills theoretically can be cleared of most plastics.
One kilogram of plastic produces almost one liter of oil. To convert that amount takes about 1 kilowatt of electricity, which is approximately ¥20 or 20 cents’ worth.
Continually honing their technology, the company is now able to sell the machines for less than before, and Ito hopes to achieve a product “that any one can buy.” Currently the smallest version, shown in the videobrief, costs ¥950,000 (US $9,500).
The machine uses a temperature controlling electric heater instead of flames, processing anything from polyethylene or polystyrene to polypropylene (numbers 2-4) but it cannot be used for PET bottles (number 1), converting the aforementioned into oil to be later used to create gasoline, Diesel and Kerosene.