Madison Reporter

Wisconsin State Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) has worked hard in the state legislature to push the state to assist with a recycling system that would help get a "second use" out of recycled plastics.

Cowles admitted it can be a "tricky" process to achieve that goal. However, new technologies including pyrolysis, which would turn recycled plastics into other useful products such as jet fuel or plastic bottles by melting it down without oxygen, can provide new ways for plastics to be used again and would benefit the state. 

"I proudly authored a bill in 2018 to legalize this process in Wisconsin which is already happening in other states," Cowles wrote in a recent tweet. "To advance pyrolysis and explore other options, we're lucky to have some of the nation's best minds at @UWMadison."

PBS reported only about 9% of plastics that are produced will ever be recycled based on current estimates.

George Hubert, a professor of chemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, told PBS they're working on new technologies that would help them find a way to recycle difficult plastic.

Pellitteri is a family owned commercial and residential waste management company based in Madison, Wisconsin that is working to recycle and reuse plastics.