Large Scale Plant Turns Unwanted Plastic Waste into Infrastructure

Up to 90 tons of plastic waste will be enriched per day at new facility in San Jose, Costa Rica.

San Jose, Costa Rica, June 21, 2022. CRDC Global and PEDREGAL today opened a state-of-the-art factory capable of turning difficult-to-recycle plastic waste into a value-added aggregate called RESIN8™ for use in the construction industry. The new plant, the first of its kind in the world, offers an innovative solution to the plastic waste challenge by diverting unwanted industrial and household plastic away from the environment and landfills. Global non-profit organization, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, has supported the scaling up of CRDC Global’s operations in Costa Rica and North America since 2021.

At full capacity, the plant will be able to process up to 90 tons of plastic waste per day, using a proven and proprietary process to produce RESIN8. Designed by and for the construction industry, RESIN8 is unique in that it can take any type of plastic waste (resins 1-7) as raw material, without discernment or limitation on the type or quantity. The versatile aggregate has been extensively tested to enhance the integrity of concrete or asphalt and creates a viable solution by enriching plastic waste for the construction industry.

“Our goal is to be part of the solution to the world’s plastic waste problem by generating value from all plastic that currently ends up in landfills, incinerators or in the ocean,” said David Zamora, Commercial Director of PEDREGAL, at the official launch of the factory, which was also attended by the Minister of Environment and Energy for Costa Rica, Franz Tattenbach Capra. Zamora continued: “The fact that we’re launching this factory in Costa Rica is significant. Our country is known for its progressive stance on conservation and environmental best practices, and we’re proud to be part of the solution to this growing problem.”

“The Alliance believes that plastic waste is a resource with value that can be unlocked with the right technologies and solutions. RESIN8™ is one such example with the potential to be replicated globally,” said Jacob Duer, President and CEO of the Alliance. “We are proud to support CRDC Global to expand the technology globally. Together, we can contribute to enhancing the economic and social value of hard-to-recycle plastic waste and help to end it in the environment.”

Donald Thomson, CRDC Global’s Founder and Chairman, stressed that this is only the beginning: “We’re on a journey to deliver a scalable, regenerative, and circular solution to end the world’s plastic waste problem once and for all. RESIN8 has a positive impact on both the plastics and the construction industries as a functional example of zero waste. We spent years on research and development to ensure we have a process that can be rapidly scaled. In fact, while Costa Rica is the perfect place to launch the first factory, other large-scale facilities in the US, South Africa, and Australia are opening later this year.”

RESIN8 is suitable for numerous applications including concrete blocks and pavers, pre-cast concrete, poured-in-place concrete, mortars, and even hot mix asphalt. The resultant material is up to 15% lighter or stronger depending on its usage, with up to 20% better insulation properties than traditional concrete. It has already been used by Habitat for Humanity to build social housing in Latin America.

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