How is the definition of waste changing in the Edmonton region?

In this episode of Decarbonizing Today, Corey Saban, the CEO of [Re] Waste sits down with Edmonton Global's Alyssa Linford to discuss what the word "waste" even means and how that definition is changing. 

What is Decarbonizing Today?

Explore the Edmonton Region's role in solving the global climate crisis.

Welcome to, to carbonizing today, a deep dive into

the Edmonton metro region's role in addressing the global climate crisis.

In this episode were with Corey Saban,

the CEO of rewaste and your Emonton global host, Alyssa Linford.

Corey, thank you so much for joining us here today.

Yeah, thanks for having me excited to be here.

Awesome.

Could you describe what rewaste is, describe your company for me?

Yeah, so reways helps businesses divert their plastics

from landfills, and we focus on transforming it into recycle

products that they can use in their operations, or

um generate revenues by selling it through their distribution channels.

And what was the inspiration for starting rewaste?

The inspiration was COVID.

So, yeah, so my background in the construction industry

where I spent about a decade, and I was laid off during COVID,

and I was able to spend more time at home with my wife and three young kids.

and I just began experimenting with single used grocery

bags in the garage and I thought, we can

probably do something better than just sending this material to landfill.

So I started experimenting with single used

grocery bags and just melting it between a griddle and an iron

and creating these dense objects, and from there

we got to do some pilot projects and secure

some contracts and move over to the garage.

Fantastic.

So, you're here today at Carbon capture Canada.

with the mission of what carbon capture Canada presents,

how does it align with what rewaste aims to do and is doing?

Yeah, I think the carbon aspect is is

new for a lot of businesses.

And for us, uh what we realized is

when we process plastic, we actually embody carbon.

So, rather than thinking about sequestering carbon

and removing it from the air, we look at the plastic

and how it already has a carbon footprint in it.

So by processing it and turning it into

recycle products, we focus on the embodied carbon.

So we're getting more into producing products

that embody carbon and really understanding what that lifecycle assessment means.

With three ways to I understand that you guys do focus within

a couple of different sectors and have a couple of different partnerships, could

you explain a little bit more about what your sectors that you focus

in on are as well as your partnerships?

Yeah, so we service a lot of different sectors.

Our first or our first contract was from the cannabis industry.

um and so now we're the largest cannabis recycler in Canada.

Uh, we work with multinationals to set up recycling programs.

Most recently, we've worked in the construction industry. um

and specifically in the construction industry, that's where we're taking plastic and creating plastic rock.

We call re rock to be used as weeping

tile and drainage rock in construction.

And so when we look at traditional

materials used in construction, it's massive amounts of materials that are needed.

And the concept that we've

developed is replacing some of these traditional materials with plastics.

and we've observed up to a 75% weight

reduction by making plastic rock.

Interesting.

And what are the implications of expanding

the amount of use of reuse

of products and materials in the net zero efforts?

So the opportunity that we see, there's two big opportunities.

One is on the downstream side, so when we look at the production

of rock in when we look at the production

of traditional rock, there's mining application,

there's a lot of transportation, so GHG's being

um uh produced.

So when we look at the plastic rock, it's using existing materials.

It's reducing the amount of materials heading to landfills.

We're generating value from that waste.

Um, and then on the upstream side, when we

do incorporate our plastic into uh products,

now we see less GHGs associated with transportation

because the material is so much lighter.

We're seeing um

we're seeing less wear and tear on roads.

We're seeing less wear and tear on equipment.

So I think we're starting to see more

benefits on the downstream and upstream sides.

What aspects of the Edmonton Metropolitan region's

ecosystem do you find have influenced or aided in your success as a business?

I think being in Edmonton's a lot of opportunity.

and everybody wants to give a helping hand it seems.

So when you talk to this innovative ecosystem,

uh, that Emonton Global is part of, oftentime it's

great for lead generation, it's great for connection and networking.

So when we look at the Emonton region,

um there it's just filled with opportunities.

that makes sense, like the the innovation of the ecosystem.

Um I guess my second follow-up question to that would be,

are there any other partners that you would love to give a shout out to, or that have kind of helped attribute in that together?

success as well?

Yeah, I think all the

um partners that we have from recycling partners,

the businesses we work with, too.

Even the Emonton ecosystem

So startup Edmonton, the Erin program to

be able to help rewaste from idea to commercialization.

So I think there's a lot of factors where you get an idea

and it's a lot of work to turn that idea into a business, but

being in Emonton, there's a lot of resources that

can help turn that idea into an actual business.

Um, and like I said, there's a lot of relationships that

we can get connected to through Emonton Global.

what are some of the roadblocks that you guys are facing right now as an organization

and what may be needed there to help you move forward?

The biggest thing from idea to commercialization is obviously resources and investments.

So when we look at scaling our plastic rock

into a commercialized product, well, there's big equipment costs, and so

that's one of the challenges that we see with a lot of companies trying

to get to that operational point in a b in business,

it comes down to the investment.

And so that's the biggest challenge right now is getting

the right equipment for scaling these products.

And when you think of looking on a more macroscale of

those goals, the sustainability goals towards net zero, what

do you think are some of those roadblocks on a macroscale for Canada's path to net zero?

I think one of the biggest challenges is

how we define waste and waste

rate now is destined for landfill.

So if we look at the existing

infrastructure that's available, it's it's outdated,

and that goes to the mature recovery

facilities, that goes to the existing infrastructure that's available.

um because they are sorting those materials for the commodity markets.

They need a return on investment, and so

the commodity market oftentimes funds those uh

um those businesses.

So what I see

is we're impacted by the materials that are

acceptable through those programs, um where we

see different programs that have

rebates associated with it, where

this material, it might be the exact same, but

if it's not part of this rebate program, it's not accepted.

The only other option is sending it to landfill.

So what we like to do is we we

look at waste as a resource.

How can we just find the right application for this material

to divert it from landfill?

Well, it sounds like it's one of those things you learn when you're a kid.

It's reduced reuse recycle.

So rewaste is quite literally redefining what waste is.

It is, um certainly redefining.

It's I don't think it's anything revolutionary in terms of

recycling, but I think what we're

doing is making it more accessible.

We're making recycling more accessible for businesses.

Right now, there's a lot of focus on municipal

recycling programs, and that's supported by the extended producer responsibility policy.

So the federal government is implementing

these policies to engage producers, to fund the recycling programs.

But if we look at municipalities,

the amount of waste that they generate, it's nominal

compared to what businesses generate, and businesses don't

have the same opportunity to recycle their packaging.

So we focus on businesses and diverting their materials.

Now I don't want to focus a little bit on opportunities.

So as you work towards creating a more circular economy,

what are some of the opportunities that you've encountered in scaling these innovations?

I think the opportunities that we've seen is how businesses

can use this material within their operation.

So when we meet with businesses, we come with a

few different options, but the goal is always to

try to create that circular economy within businesses.

And so they'll help us understand what

they're buying, what they're importing, what their procurement process looks like.

so that we can show them that look, we can actually injection

mold right beside your facility, um, and we can produce this widget.

So, I think the the opportunities

that we have seen have been from the businesses that we work with in terms of

centralizing their procurements so that they don't have to go overseas,

have those increased GHGs associates it as associated

with it, especially when decarbonization is

right along their ESG goals.

And how exactly are you engaging with these businesses?

Is it a one on one conversation?

Is it a group situation or is it a, you know, a simple survey?

Such a good question. um, we get approached by a lot of businesses.

I'd say that's our main

leads is we get approached.

And then once we're approached by these businesses, they'll

often they'll often refer us to other businesses that they work with.

So we don't do a very

good job in marketing and getting out there, but thankfully, we're

able to develop innovative solutions that work for these businesses, and then they can refer us.

The fact that even these businesses are coming to you tells

you that there is a need out there for this kind of solution.

What kind of businesses are approaching you?

Is it limited to kind of one sector industry or is it kind of a

a branched out kind of?

It's diverse.

Uh, so we've had the opportunity to work with some of the largest issues distributors

in the world, uh, some of the largest coffee companies in the world.

um some of the fast furniture companies.

And one thing is common

is their business relies on packaging and it can be rigid plastics.

It could be uh films, but with

the existing infrastructure, there's no options.

So when we overlay that with

the carbon impact and how we can show how recycling

through reways, they can achieve their net zero, their decarbonization strategy.

It's a game changer for them.

What role does AI and machine learning play in

accelerating the shift contributing to both economic growth and environmental sustainability?

Yeah, so AI has been a fun one to play with.

And I I use the example from like Chat GPT for the general public.

It really allows a general public to speed up

the smallest of tasks, like writing an email.

And so when we look at howway started in

the garage, we were scraping data off every single piece of plastic that we collected.

Um We would uh manually

enter that into a spreadsheet.

and so we've done tests now where we

put uh plastic under a conveyor, and there's

phot recogncognition, there's cameras on that there, and it's pulling that data off.

And so when we meet with businesses,

nobody really understands the data associated with plastics.

Nobody understands if

there's a pocket of a certain type of plastic in this region

and this region might need X amount of plastic.

So from our perspective, when

we look at the economics of it, if we are able to work with

multinationals, if we're able to work with

material carvery facilities and integrate into their cameras,

well, now we can pull out so much more data and make better

decisions in getting this recycled content back into products.

And it's not all types of products.

It's finding that right application.

And with organizations like the Alberta

Machine Intelligence Institute one of three AI centers

in Canada, how does that influence the trajectory

of your business moving forward to have ecosystem players like that?

Yeah, I think that so we we talked to Amy when

we were first starting. so when we have that level of support

a program likeA, we're able to first

validate the concept that with their um

with their knowledge of artificial intelligence, we can see

a bigger impact that it doesn't just relate to rewaste and these common trends.

because they work with a lot of different businesses so they can

show how it'll uh impact the wider masses

more business, more municipalities than just rewaste.

Kind of an open ended question.

What does success look like to rewaste

in five, 10, 15, 20 years ahead?

It's a really good question.

I think what success looks like in five,

ten, 20 years for rewaste is being able to

implement our programs with multinationals at a national level.

Um, when I think of an

impact, I think about um quantum

material that has been diverted from landfill.

And if we're able to do that across Canada, across the US and

even globally with some of these multinationals, that's

how I would define success for rewaste.

How do you envision the future of waste

value impacting global industries?

And how can companies in the Edmonton region lead that transformation?

waste value that's a good one.

I can see one's

waste once the definition of waste is uh

more widely adopted to a valuable resource.

I could see landfills being mined for the resources that are in there.

Waste value from a global level,

I think um once we start to

see the transition from waste to resource, uh we'll

start to see more widely adopted programs.

I think Heidelberg's doing a great job in terms of

their investment into the alternative fuels.

And now we're able to see what it looks like on

a smaller level like rewaste being able to work with

one of these massive companies like Heidelberg.

there's some really big players in the Emmerton region

where it might start off as an R&D project because it might be

a smaller technology that's at its infancy.

But by being able to get at your technology

or your your solution exposed to some of these bigger companies,

they're going to be able to show that R&D has been done.

There's validation.

There's something here, and now they're going to be able to scale

it along with your individual efforts.

Would you be able to tell me about some of the technology that you're using?

Yeah, so we're using uh waystream dot

AI, so this is a joint venture that we have with a technology company.

And so specifically what that focuses on is

the track and trace of materials.

So when we look at reporting or

verified reporting or carbon calculations,

we see that there's missing

information and what we want to do is we want to focus on

the whole track and trace journey of that material.

So materials might start in eastern

Canada and they'll be shipped to Edmonton, for example.

So that has GHGs associated with it.

And in our reporting, we want to make sure that

the whole life cycle is reported so that our clients actually get a

a really good projection of that carbon impact,

not just we've received this material and now we've

embodied X amount just based on uh on a ratio.

So it's very important for us to end

our clients to be able to show the whole track and trace, the whole journey of this material

that it's come from one location, reways has

processed it, and now it's been used in different products or

it's gone to alternative fuels each

one will have a different impact in terms of a carbon calculation..

Interesting.

Thank you so much, Corey for joining us today at the Edmonton Global Podcast Booth.