Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz signed today a partnership agreement with Sustane Technologies, a cleantech company focused on improving waste circularity, to site a facility in Washington. The Canadian company uses a mechanized proprietary process to recycle up to 90 percent of household waste for use as alternative fuels in the production of new plastics and organic fertilizers.

 

“This partnership with Sustane Technologies represents an important opportunity for us to improve Washington’s future,” said Commissioner Franz. “By reducing the amount of waste that goes to a landfill, we are showing our commitment to sustainability and building a better environment for the next generation. And by doing it in Washington, we’re showing a commitment to our state’s natural resource economy.”

 

The letter of intent initiates a process to explore sites managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that would be suitable for siting a waste transformation facility. DNR manages 2.1 million acres of public lands on behalf of the people of Washington, along with 2.6 million acres of state-owned aquatic lands.

 

The company and DNR will begin exploring possible sites later this winter.

 

 In 2021, Washington state produced nearly 20 million tons of solid waste, nearly half of which went directly to landfills, according to the Department of Ecology’s solid waste and recycling data. Once in a landfill, this waste can produce powerful greenhouse gases like methane, further exacerbating our climate crisis.

 

Sustane Technologies’ innovative approach to waste management reduces a community’s overall carbon footprint by up to 10 percent, through the prevention of up to 238,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions for a community with a population of 150,000. This is the equivalent of taking over 60,000 cars off the road. With significantly lower capital and operating costs than comparable alternative technologies, and a more favorable cost per ton of emissions prevented, Sustane Technologies is able to meet the needs of communities with population bases of 150,000 to over 1 million.

 

“As a leader in sustainable waste resource management, we are pleased to partner with Washington state to explore sites for a Sustane waste transformation facility and contribute to a more robust local circular economy,” said Peter Vinall, President of Sustane Technologies. “With a growing pipeline of potential projects across North America, we look forward to scaling up our operations and playing a key role in reaching net-zero emissions targets by 2050.”

 

This letter of intent mirrors a similar agreement executed earlier this year between DNR and Sustainable Blue, a land-based recirculating aquaculture facility. Sustane Technologies and Sustainable Blue represent two elements of a circular economy concept that seeks to minimize ecological imprint, with the potential for a shared campus.

 

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Joe Smillie

Communications Manager

Cell: 360-688-3392