Good—simple choices for a better life

Article illustration

Plastic waste converted to oil? We're not talking rubbish

Home » Blog » Sarah Heeringa » Plastic waste converted to oil? We're not talking rubbish

By Sarah Heeringa

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US generated 250 million tons of waste in 2008 alone, and about 54% of this rubbish ends up in landfills.

The Japanese company, Blest, has developed one of the smallest and safest oil-to-plastic conversion machines on the market. One kilo of plastic can be converted into approximately one litre of oil.

Founder and CEO, Akinori Ito, hopes that one day the machine will be found in all homes in Japan.

“It's a waste to throw away, isn't it? This is a treasure," he says.

To watch the machine in action, click here.

 

Comments

pioverten
 
Mon August 23, 2010 @ 07:42 PM
suggest you have a look at spectioNZ and the otaki technology park.
Not the least bit surprising the japs have beaten everyone to it and been very quiet about it until it is working properly.

I wonder how much energy it consumes in the process of recovering energy?

Add your comment

Anonymous comments are queued before publishing and it may take some time before they appear. Please consider creating an account and your comment will appear automatically. If you already have an account, please log in.








If you have trouble reading the code, click on the code itself to generate a new random code
 

More Goodness

The Good blog
  • Winter pick-me-ups
    article illustration

    2 days ago

    As gloomy weather sets in, it's the little things that lift your mood. Like these candy-coloured retro leather purses from Green With Envy – a splash of gorgeousness on the daily shop. And we've got two to give away!

  • How to get rid of oxalis?
    article illustration

    By Zoe Carafice, 2 days ago

    Good's new gardening expert Zoe Carafice is ready and waiting to solve your dilemmas! Each question published on Zoe's blog or in Good receives a fab prize from Tui Garden. This week: how to eradicate oxalis bulbs.

  • One good reason to skip lunch
    article illustration

    By Siobhan Leathley, 2 days ago

    Plenty of food that’s good enough to eat (but not good enough to sell) is disposed of every day. Kaibosh Food Rescue is aiming to change all that by collecting extra food and distributing it to charities. Now they're calling on Kiwis to donate the cost of a meal on Miss a Meal in May Day – so they can expand their mission to help out the hungry.

Good magazine
  • Urban harvest
    article illustration

    By Nancy Howie, April 16, 2012

    Could you live off the land? Nancy Howie travels to Canada to discover how one grassroots movement is redefining the suburban dream.

  • Where has fracking been allowed on the East Coast?
    article illustration

    December 1, 2011

    Armed with exploration licenses issued by the New Zealand government, Tag Oil and its partner Apache intend to extract oil and gas from the East Coast. See the map here >

  • Man-made earthquakes
    article illustration

    By Good, November 15, 2011

    Is it possible for human activity to cause quakes? One investigation in Blackpool, England discovered that more than fifty tremors in the region were caused by fracking operations. Read the article >

article illustration

Latest issue

Discover what gives your home soul, tips for easy entertaining and making favourite clothes last longer. Find latest research on honey for health and the brainiest breakfasts, plus guides to greenwashing, distilling and the best loo paper to buy.

Follow us

Latest comments

  • B on Winter pick-me-ups:
    I often despise coming home after work to have to stand in the kitchen for ages cooking.  So I try to make huge pots or add extra vege'  …
  • Erin on Winter pick-me-ups:
    For me, I make sure I know where my fuzzy tramping socks are - super for wearing in my beautiful work boots, and in my gumboots while I mow  …
  • Hilary on Winter pick-me-ups:
    winterproof your home by reducing humidity inside (when it's damp it feels colder). It is amazing what a difference it makes to slick/squeeg  …
  • leah c on Winter pick-me-ups:
    Soups, and lots of it.  Everyone likes it, it's warm hearty food and a great way of using up old veggies and some of the winter crops i  …
  • Linda on Winter pick-me-ups:
    I make sure I have a bottle of one of the blackcurrant type syrups, I find it hard to keep up the water intake when the temps drop, so add h  …
  • Cassidy on Your eco kitchen makeover:
    Although I love the idea of the glass jars for baking ingredients etc. would Tupperware be alright as it lasts a lifetime?
  • Karen on Winter pick-me-ups:
    I've just finished knitting a sweater for a hot water bottle cover, so it stays hot longer and also doesn't get to hot when hugging it. Trou  …
  • Gaye on Winter pick-me-ups:
    Nothing beats coming home to  a spicy beef curry and a steamed jam sponge pudding smothered with custard after a brisk walk embracing t  …

Blogs

Good pages

Good Shopping Handbook