WSU Evergreen, Thursday November 18, 2010
Recycled plastic grocery bags and leftover two-by-fours may once again find their way to an eco-friendly manufacturing plant in Elma, Wash.
WSU Composite Materials and engineering Center (CMEC) and the WSU Extension have collaborated with NewWood Manufcaturing, Inc. to help develop a company that will produce sheet material from wood particles mixed with plastic. A different company previously produced this kind of product in the same location but closed down.
“As we put more humans on this earth we create more waste,” said Robert Tichy, research engineering for CMEC. “This is an opportunity to utilize some rather large waste streams — plastic and wood — and recycle that material into new products.”
NewWood CEO John Bowser said he decided to work with WSU after coming across the CMEC website and meeting with researchers.
“They’ve been a real support,” Bowser said. “They’ve helped us from the very beginning with validating the technology and also helping us with our strategies moving forward with product development.” [Read more…]