Written in Partnership with Amir BakianDenovia Labs announces its first commercialized plastic recycling machine set to launch in 60 days—a groundbreaking technology combating the world’s plastic issue. Discover how this leader in the recycling industry is sparking global change for the better.
It’s safe to say most people are aware of the global situation of plastic pollution, but to what extent?
According to the United Nations, “on average, the world is producing 430 million tonnes of plastic per year—two-thirds of which are only used for a short period of time. Wrappers for our chocolate bars, packets for our crisps, and plastic utensils for our lunch. But, this brief life cycle has consequences; every day, the equivalent of over 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into our oceans, rivers, and lakes. As a result, plastic pollution is set to triple by 2060 if no action is taken.”
Seeing the hard numbers, it’s a harsh look at the current state of the world’s plastic situation, and what feels like an indefinite problem. But beneath the mound of waste are heroes helping to lessen this statistic, one of them suited up in a fully recycled plastic uniform: Denovia Labs.
Istok Nahtigal, a physical organic chemist by trade with extensive experience in the pharmaceutical space, along with Nick Spina, founder of ethey, came together to create Denovia Labs to lessen this stark reality. Hailing from The Forest City, London, Ontario-based company Denovia Labs is revolutionizing the plastic problem with innovative technology that dissolves plastic waste and upcycles it—the only process of its kind. Their proprietary cutting-edge approach converts various forms of plastic waste into their base chemical building blocks. A standout factor? Recycled plastic put through Denovia Lab’s technology is usable, again and again, unlike other recycling technology available.
“When you see a plastic bottle dissolve and disappear in front of your eyes, it’s pretty profound,” says Spina. “Now we’re going to see thousands of plastic bottles dissolve in front of our eyes, so it’s even more amazing.”
But why is this so important for the fight against plastic pollution?
Plastics are an essential material for most industries—it will always be an irreplaceable dependency. Yet, the development and disposal of plastic is one of the leading causes of emissions, climate change, and devastating marine life, posing a significant problem, especially if this cycle continues. Co-founders Spina and Nahtigal, recognizing this conundrum, sought to create a way to lessen plastic pollution while also catering to those industries dependent on this material.
Denovia Labs’s process does not valorize “end-of-use” plastics, but rather, “an infinitely recyclable, circular system,” the website states. They’re taking the excessive amount of plastic waste, which includes textile and polyester blends, sustainably “up-cycling” them, and commercializing them for more advanced use.
Now at a commercial scale, the machine can significantly increase the waste it processes, and open the doors for more industry leaders to turn to recyclable plastic.
“It’s 100% recycled pellets that we’re able to sell at very competitive rates. That’s another beautiful thing about Denovia Labs is that not only do we dissolve plastic waste, but we upcycle it and can sell the outputs to different companies as 100% recycled Denovia pellets,” Spina explains.
“When you look at typical recycling heat and mold, you can only take 10% of a blue bin statistically, and heat and mold it into different shapes roughly ten times before it loses its integrity, and then that plastic ends up in a landfill or an ocean anyways. So with us, people can feel good and have those bragging rights that they’re using 100% recycled pet Denovia pellets.”
Denovia Labs is making seismic waves for plastic waste and sustainability, but they’re not alone in this commendable endeavor. The company has a team of strategic partners including author and speaker Gary “Vee” Vaynerchuk, CEO of Goodwill Michelle Quintyn, Connor Lyons of Power Sustainable, former COO of FedEx Global Andy Smith, and Bobby Kia, a Climate Solutions Investment and Technology Deployment Strategist.
Born and raised in Canada, having the support from these partnerships, along with significant backing from the government, is paving the way for Canadian-born and raised Spina to spread Denovia Labs’ impact on a global scale.
“Tymac has already shipped 16 pallets of waste products to our facility to be dissolved. Our partners at Goodwill have shipped tonnes of textile waste that we’re going to be dissolving as well. It’s a massive breakthrough moment for Canada, for us at Denovia, for really the whole world,” he says.
Denovia Labs is on a mission to open up facilities not just all over North America but around the world, and with the support of these partnerships, it’s turning into a reality.
“Getting these new facilities up and running in Canada is the most important thing right now, and then after that is getting facilities opened up all over North America and then around the globe,” Spina shares.
As pioneers in combating environmental pollution, the team at Denovia Labs is changing the plastic problem, one polyester monomer at a time.
“Let’s change the world. We’re getting close,” Spina concludes.
To learn more about this game-changing technology, visit the Denovia Labs website here.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.