AUSTIN, Texas — Landfills in Central Texas are filled with items that could have been reused, so the City of Austin is doing something to help.
It's called a Reverse Pitch competition. Businesses go to entrepreneurs and ask them to find a good use for their would-be waste.
“Unfortunately, you can find plastic trash just about everywhere,” said Mike Strong, who's an entrepreneur with re:3D.
Strong said re:3D made good use of that trash. They put old plastic into a 3D printer and watched it transform into a vase and skateboard. Strong represents one of four finalists competing in the 2019 [Re]Verse Pitch competition.
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A spokesperson for Austin Resource Recovery said the goal is to create new profitable uses for items that would otherwise end up in landfills.
“Greenhouse gases are something that we’re all worried about,” said Tammie Williamson, who is the Austin Resource Recovery assistant director. “Anything that we can do to reduce those is what Austin Resource Recovery is all about.”
This competition could do a lot to help the environment and Austin’s economy too.
“Being able to print directly from plastic trash opens up a lot of opportunities both in creating jobs, businesses and solving problems,” said Strong.
This supports the city’s goal of reaching zero waste by 2040. The final event took place on Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Capital Factory. The winner, Anjali Sridharan and Strong, took home $10,000 in cash.
Sridharan’s idea was to repurpose polycarbonate plastic dye-cut sheets from HID Global to craft affordable eyewear with a new company, POLYMart. Strong’s team, re:3D, are adding to their 3D printer business to launch “Design by re:3D” using the same plastic waste to make specialty furniture, art and other unique items.
“When I saw the material pitched by HID Global, I knew this was an opportunity to disrupt the eyewear market and make glasses significantly more affordable,” said founder Sridharan. “POLYMart will be able to both upcycle waste and help more Texans get access to the glasses they need.”
“With this win, we’re excited to move from feasibility testing into implementation for our ‘Design by re:3D’ line of upcycled 3D printed home goods,” said Strong, Chief of Staff of re:3D.
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